Page 2115 - Week 07 - Tuesday, 2 August 2022
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• relevant parts of the 2010 Kangaroo Management Plan. The review endorsed the ACT Government’s counting methods and culling advice.
• 2017 – The Eastern Grey Kangaroo: Controlled Native Species Management Plan was released. This plan is an update on the 2010 Kangaroo Management Plan and applies only to Eastern Grey Kangaroos in the ACT. It is a statutory plan under the Nature Conservation Act 2014 and includes two instruments detailing the process for calculating the number of kangaroos to cull for conservation and rural purposes. This plan incorporates relevant research conducted since 2010, some updates to policies and codes of practice.
• 2018 –The ACT Government’s adaptive management approach to managing kangaroo impacts on conservation lands was reviewed by a panel of experts during a Kangaroo Management Research Workshop held in 2018. A report was prepared detailing recommendations, including the adoption of a management goal for grassy ecosystems of maintaining between 5 and 15cm of grass (See figure above). This recommendation has become a key component of the management program, with annual monitoring of vegetation undertaken at all sites considered for culling and vegetation modelling incorporated into the cull calculations. The review report is available online at: https://www.environment.act.gov.au/data/assets/pdf_file/0006/1550292/kangaroo- management-research-report-april-2019.pdf.
• 2008, 2011, 2015 and 2019 – Phone polls of ACT residents opinions to kangaroo management have been undertaken. The results show high support for kangaroo management in the ACT. The 2019 survey indicated that 79% of ACT residents agreed that culling kangaroos is appropriate under certain circumstances, 72% supported kangaroo culling for conservation of other native species while 12% are against culling under any circumstances. The support for culling has grown from 59% in 2008. Reports are available online at: https://www.environment .act.gov.au/parks-conservation/plants-and-animals/urban-wildlife /kangaroos/opinion-poll-act-residents-views-on-kangaroo-management.
• Macropod culling is conducted under the strictest animal welfare standards. An audit of compliance with National Code of Practice for the Humane Shooting of Kangaroos and Wallabies for Non-Commercial Purposes is undertaken at 5-7-year intervals. A 2017 audit found that all aspects of the Code of Practice were complied with and can be viewed at https://www.environment.act.gov.au/data/assets/pdf_file/0009/1556892/animal-welfare- assessment-kangaroo-culling-2017.pdf.
In keeping with the commitment to ongoing review and improvement, over the next 12 months the following activities will be undertaken:
• Repeat the ACT residents opinion poll;
• Review the 2017 Eastern Grey Kangaroo: Controlled Native Species Management Plan; and
• Undertake an independent veterinary audit during the 2023 conservation culling program to ensure continued regard to animal welfare issues.
I trust that this Government response has been helpful and provides advice on the issues raised in Petition No. 17-22.
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