How does the operational response in NSW contrast with the Wet Tropics strategy?

NSW priority shifts towards containment and rapid response to prevent wider establishment

The biosecurity priorities in New South Wales differ markedly from those in the established infestation zones of the Wet Tropics. While the Wet Tropics focuses on total area-wide eradication because the ant is deeply established, NSW maintains a strategy centered on containment and rapid response. This difference is dictated by the climate suitability and the current density of the infestation; in NSW, the ant presence is typically localized or involves isolated incursions rather than massive, year-round colonization seen further north. The objective in NSW is proactive: stopping the invasion before it reaches the widespread, entrenched state found in Queensland, often by targeting port areas and border regions.