Australia faces 10 years of rabbit plagues due to the “dumb” decision not to fund a new virus to control the invasive species that is wreaking havoc across the country.

The lack of planning and funding means Australia has been left in the lurch as the two viruses used to keep rabbit numbers down, myxomatosis and the rabbit calicivirus, have stopped working.

Meanwhile, rabbit numbers are exploding across the country in places like central NSW, the Darling Downs in Queensland, the Bass Coast of Victoria and the southeast of South Australia.

The invasive pests are devouring vegetation and crops, accelerating erosion and in one NSW town, burrowing into graves at the cemetery.

Independent senator David Pocock said the lack of a ready virus to deploy against the rabbit population was a failure of long-term planning.

“This is really dumb from us as a country, not listening to scientists, listening to experts, and knowing that we would be in this situation,” he said.

Each year rabbits cost the agriculture sector about $200m in control costs and residual agriculture losses. They are a threat to 322 threatened native flora and fauna species including the greater bilby and hairy nosed wombat.

Darling Downs Moreton Rabbit Board chief executive Craig Magnussen said prior to the release of the myxomatosis virus, rabbit populations reached plague proportions.

“It was devastating to our agricultural industries as well as our natural environment.”

Near Wagga Wagga in NSW, Coolamon Shire Council Mayor David McCann said rabbits were burrowing under structures across town.

The CSIRO is currently researching new viruses and gene drive technology for rabbit control and is at the point of selecting new variants.