Page 3553 - Week 09 - Thursday, 23 August 2018
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support the removal of peafowl and a further 29 per cent neither supported nor opposed. In addition two petitions were submitted, with over 1,700 national and international signatories. This consultation also received international attention, with locals in favour of retaining the peafowl being interviewed on Russian television.
We have read the comments from the local community, we have listened, and I am pleased to announce that we will not remove the peafowl from their current habitat, by either fair means or foul. The ACT government has committed to not removing peafowl from Narrabundah, but acknowledges that the issues raised by some residents need to be addressed.
The government will continue to work with the community to develop an agreed community-led approach to managing the peafowl population that will be led by residents, with government assistance and oversight. The first step will be to facilitate the formation of a community group that is representative of all views, including residents who support the retention of peafowl and residents that support the removal of peafowl from the Narrabundah area.
MS CODY: Minister, did the consultation ruffle some feathers or was the community able to come together to come up with a way humans and peafowl can live in harmony?
MS FITZHARRIS: I thank Ms Cody for the supplementary question. I can now let fly. Whilst there has been an active community debate around the retention of the peafowl population—I think the correct collective noun is “ostentation”—I can assure the Assembly that feathers have not been ruffled and there has been no “fowl” play.
In fact the consultation process revealed an overwhelming consensus to retain the peafowl. They have also been affectionately and colloquially referred to as majestic disco chickens and it has also been said that they may even be a drawcard for local tourism. It has also highlighted the ability of the community to come together, collaborate with government and propose new ways in which residents and peafowl can live harmoniously in the Narrabundah area and, indeed, feather their nests.
Responses from local residents and relevant organisations recognised that the peafowl are an integral part of the Narrabundah community and highlighted concerns around the various methods for their removal proposed in the draft plan. A number of residents responded that they supported the retention of peafowl but agreed that some population control may be necessary in future if negative impacts became sufficiently problematic.
Respondents made various suggestions for ongoing management in order to retain the peafowl whilst minimising issues posed by the population, including undertaking an awareness campaign and reducing population numbers in a humane way. A number of respondents offered to rehome the peafowl. Any proposals to relocate peafowl would need to be considered in light of a finalised management plan.
In the illustrious history of our country in Australian land grabbing, peacocking was a technique used by squatters to secure desirable pieces of land. One can only deduce
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