COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA
Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999
DECLARATION OF AN APPROVED SMALL-SCALE WILDLIFE TRADE OPERATION
WILDLIFE TRADE OPERATION (SMALL-SCALE) FOR PAUL HAILES TRADING AS ANTSHOPAUS PTY LTD – WILD HARVEST OF NATIVE QUEEN ANTS FROM THE AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY – 2025-2028
I, Sam Hush, Branch Head, Wildlife Trade and Regulatory Capability Branch, as Delegate of the Minister for the Environment and Water am satisfied that the operation conducted by Paul Hailes to harvest native queen ants for commercial export, is a small-scale Wildlife Trade Operation, as defined by regulation 9A.20(2) under subsection 303FN(10)(b).
I declare under subsection 303FN(2) that the Paul Hailes trading as ANTSHOPAUS PTY LTD – Wild harvest of native queen ants from the Australian Capital Territory – 2025-2028 is an approved small-scale Wildlife Trade Operation.
This declaration has effect subject to the following 6 conditions applied under section 303FT:
- The operation is to be undertaken in accordance with the final proposal submitted to the Department on 9 November 2025.
2. Annual harvest for export is restricted to the following native ant taxa. Harvest levels must not exceed the maximum quantities set out for each genus. Additional taxa can be exported only after approval from the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water.
Taxa | Annual Harvest Quota |
Amblyopone spp.
| 50 |
Aphaenogaster spp.
| 300 |
Camponotus spp.
| 1000 |
Iridomyrmex spp.
| 1000 |
Myrmecia spp.*
| 1000 |
* Subspecies Myrmecia sp.17 (bull ant) is excluded from this approval.
3. For the purposes of this approval, harvest of the specified taxa is only permitted to be undertaken within the Australian Capital Territory (ACT). Specimens sourced outside of the ACT are not considered part of this approval and cannot be commercially exported.
4. Wild harvest must not involve any excavation or damage to existing ant nests of colonies.
5. Paul Hailes Queen Ants trading as ANTSHOPAUS PTY LTD must submit annual report to the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water by 18 December each year.
The annual report must include:
• The total number of ants harvested from each genus (identified to species-level where possible), harvesting dates and locations, and mortality rates.
• A summary of the queen ant population monitoring completed at each harvest location, including a yearly comparison of the number of surveys completed, survey methodology, survey timing and the outcomes.
6. The declaration is valid for three years from the day after its publication on the Federal Register of Legislation.
Dated this 18th day of December 2025
Sam Hush
………….…….……………………….........
Delegate of the Minister for the Environment and Water
Under section 266 of the Administrative Review Tribunal Act 2024 (ART Act), decision-makers must give notice of a decision and review rights to any person affected by the decision (section 266 of the ART Act). In giving the notice, decision-makers must have regard to the Administrative Review Tribunal Rules 2024 (section 267 of the ART Act).
A person whose interests are affected by this decision may, within 28 days, apply in writing to the Department of the Climate Change, Energy, Environment and Water, for the statement of reasons for the decision (section 268 of the ART Act).
If they are not satisfied with the decision, or the statement of reasons, an application for independent merits review of the decision (under section 303GJ(1) of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999) may be made to the Administrative Review Tribunal (ART), on payment of the relevant fee (currently $1,121 or reduced fee where applicable due to financial hardship) by the applicant.
This can take place either within 28 days of receipt of the reasons for the decision, or within 28 days of this declaration, if reasons for the decision are not sought. Applications should be made directly to the ART. Please visit the ART’s website at https://www.art.gov.au/ for further information. You can provide feedback or make a complaint about the general services ART staff provide relating to your case through the enquiry form provided on the ART website linked above.
You may make an application under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (Cth) to access documents relevant to this decision. For further information, please visit https://www.dcceew.gov.au/about/reporting/freedom-of-information.
Further enquiries should be directed to: Director of Wildlife Trade Assessments, Department of Climate Change, Energy, Environment and Water, Telephone: (Australia) 1800 075 065 or (international) +61 5156 5063 Email: wta@environment.gov.au.