Western Australia extends South Perth Queensland fruit fly quarantine to March 2027

The Queensland fruit fly quarantine covering the South Perth outbreak will stay in force until the end of March 2027, after the Western Australian Government extended its expiry by six months. The amendment was made under the Biosecurity and Agriculture Management Regulations 2013 and published in the Western Australian Government Gazette No. 120 of 22 September 2026, in the Agriculture and Food section, as notice AG401, the Quarantine Area Amendment Notice.

The original Quarantine Area Notice (QAN) for the declared pest Bactrocera (Bactrocera) tryoni — Queensland fruit fly, or Qfly — was published in the Gazette on 17 April 2026, and also in The West Australian newspaper and on the website of the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD). Regulation 60 of the BAM Regulations provides for the making of the QAN, while regulation 61 allows it to be amended.

The notice appears in the 22 September 2026 edition of the Western Australian Government Gazette, published in Perth by authority of the Government Printer, Andrew Jones, at page 1985 under the heading Agriculture and Food. The gazette is issued on Tuesdays and Fridays unless disrupted by public holidays or unforeseen circumstances.

What the amendment changes

The notice amends clause 1 of the QAN, replacing the original expiry date with a later one:

• Deleted: “until 11:59pm on 26 September 2026”.
• Inserted: “until 11:59pm on 31 March 2027”.

The effect is an extension of just over six months, keeping the quarantine area in place well beyond the original September deadline. The amended QAN is available on DPIRD’s website at www.dpird.wa.gov.au.

Who issued it and when

The notice is dated 9 September 2026 and signed by Cecilia McConnell, Deputy Director General, Biosecurity and Emergency Management at DPIRD, acting as Delegate of the Director General. It was published in the Gazette on 22 September 2026, thirteen days after it was signed.

The legal framework

• Biosecurity and Agriculture Management Regulations 2013 — regulation 60 governs the making of a quarantine area notice; regulation 61 governs its amendment.
• Declared pest: Bactrocera (Bactrocera) tryoni, commonly known as Queensland fruit fly or Qfly.
• Outbreak named in the notice: South Perth.
• Official reference: AG401, Agriculture and Food section, page 1985.

The amendment follows the standard sequence for biosecurity quarantine areas in Western Australia: an initial notice published in the Gazette and in the press, followed by formal amendment under the same regulations when the quarantine period needs to be adjusted.

For growers, traders and residents inside the affected area, the extension means the quarantine conditions that have applied since April 2026 will continue for a further six months, through to the end of March 2027. The gazette notice does not restate the boundaries or the conditions of the quarantine area; those remain set out in the amended QAN published by DPIRD, which is the operative document for anyone who needs to check whether a property or consignment falls within the zone.

Source: Western Australian Government Gazette, No. 120, 22 September 2026, Agriculture and Food, p. 1985 (official reference: AG401).