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Weeds

It is everybody’s responsibility to control weeds on their land.

All residents have a General Biosecurity Obligation (GBO) under Queensland’s Biosecurity Act 2014. This means that you need to ensure that your activities do not spread a pest, disease or contaminant issue and that you:

take all reasonable and practical steps to prevent or minimise each biosecurity risk
minimise the likelihood of the risk causing a biosecurity event and limit the consequences of such an event
prevent or minimise the adverse effects the risk could have and refrain from doing anything that might make harmful effects worse.

For information on weed control legislation, declared classes of weed species and how to identify weeds visit Department of Agriculture and Fisheries.

The Queensland Herbarium website provides a step by step guide on how to collect and send specimens for identification.

You can join the battle against weeds by learning to identify weeds species and managing weeds on your property. Council offers Voluntary Conservation Programs (including Bushcare and Land for Wildlife) that provide the community with opportunities to learn about our environment and conservation.

Weed legislation

Declared weed species are listed by Department of Agriculture and Fisheries as restrictive invasive plants for management:

High risk weeds must be controlled by landowners on their property and must not be introduced, kept, released or sold without a permit - penalties apply. High risk weeds are not commonly present in the region but have the potential to seriously threaten primary industries, the natural environment, livestock, human health and people's livelihoods. Landowners are required by law to keep their land free of high risk weeds and report any suspected sightings to Department of Agriculture and Fisheries. For a full list of prohibited species in Queensland visit Business Queensland.
Medium risk weeds must be controlled by landowners on their property and must not be introduced, kept, released or sold without a permit - penalties apply.
Low risk weeds must be controlled by landowners whose property is adjacent to an environmentally significant area and must not introduce, supply, release or sell these weeds without a permit - penalties apply.
Non restricted invasive weeds are plants which can disrupt native flora communities and ecosystems. There are no legislative requirement or restrictions on invasive weeds; however, landowners are encouraged to control non-declared weeds on their property to reduce their impacts.

More information on weed control legislation and the declared classes of weed species can be found on Business Queensland.

Identifying weeds in Moreton Bay Region

High risk

Alligator weed (Alternanthera philoxeroides)

Further information

Alligator weed (Alternanthera philoxeroides)
Blue Thunbergia (Thunbergia grandiflora (syn. Thinbergia laurifolia))
Hygrophila (Hygrophila costata)
Willow (Salix spp.)

Medium risk

Annual ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia)

Further information

Annual ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia)
Cabomba (Cabomba caroliniana)
Fireweed (Scientific nameSenecio madagascariensis)
Giant Parramatta grass (Sporobolus fertilis)
Giant rat's tail grass (Sporobolus pyramidalis, S. natalensis)
Groundsel bush (Baccharis halimifolia)
Hymenachne (Hymenachne amplexicaulis)
Kahili ginger (Hedychium gardnerianum)
Mother-of-millions (Bryophyllum delagoense (syn. B. tubiflorum and Kalanchoe delagoensis), B. x houghtonii (syn. B. daigremontianum x B. delagoense, K. x houghtonii))
Parthenium weed (Parthenium hysterophorus)
Prickly pear (Opuntia spp. other than O. ficus-indica)
Rubber vine (Cryptostegia grandiflora)
Salvinia (Salvinia molesta)
Senegal tea (Gymnocoronis spilanthoides)
Water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes)
Water lettuce (Pistia stratiotes)