Kangaroo and Wallaby Management

Adjourned debate on motion of Hon. T.A. Franks:

1. That a select committee of the Legislative Council be established to inquire into and report on kangaroo and wallaby populations in South Australia, with particular reference to:

(a) how they are affected by commercial and non-commercial harvesting;

(b) the adequacy and enforcement of the National Code of Practice for the Humane Shooting of Kangaroos and Wallabies for Commercial Purposes and the National Code of Practice for the Humane Shooting of Kangaroos and Wallabies for Non-Commercial Purposes, including methods used and their impact on animal welfare;

(c) the sustainability of the current harvesting levels and the long-term impact on the species;

(d) the impact of commercial and non-commercial harvesting on the health and wellbeing of kangaroos and wallabies, including any physical and psychological stress caused to the animals, permitted wildlife rescuers and carers and First Nations people;

(e) alternative strategies and practices that could be implemented to ensure the humane treatment and conservation of these animals; and

(f) any other related matters.

2. That this council permits a select committee to authorise the disclosure or publication, as it sees fit, of any evidence or documents presented to the committee prior to such evidence being presented to the council.

(Continued from 19 June 2024.)

The Hon. N.J. CENTOFANTI (Leader of the Opposition) (15:51): I rise today on behalf of the opposition to indicate that, whilst we understand the sentiments behind this motion, we will not be supporting the honourable member's call for the establishment of a select committee on kangaroo and wallaby populations. We do so on the basis that there is already a committee that is established by this parliament, the Natural Resources Committee, a standing committee that would be best placed for an inquiry of this nature. That being the case, we, on this side of the chamber, are happy to support the government's amendment to the motion to send this inquiry to the Natural Resources Committee.

We know that natural resources encompasses the sustainable use and management of energy, mineral, land and water supplies and, on that point, I do want to put some facts on the table about the delicate balance of managing land and water and why we, the opposition, do understand the need to manage kangaroo populations in this state and, indeed, around the nation.

Kangaroo numbers have increased substantially since European settlement, with some populations considered overabundant. They have benefitted from increased access to water, grazing land and the removal of predators from the landscape. High populations of kangaroos can cause adverse impacts to ecosystems, native vegetation, agricultural land, and the welfare of individual animals, in particular during times of drought, so it is vitally important that kangaroo numbers are managed with oversight from government.

In 2021, I gave a speech on the subject of kangaroo population management, noting that as a country veterinarian I understand the biology of kangaroos and have treated kangaroos in my past professional career. The kangaroo's reproductive system has evolved to deal extremely well with Australia's conditions. Members of the kangaroo family have what is called an embryonic diapause, an evolutionary adaption which enables them to not only recover from drought but to react opportunistically to a range of seasonal variations and conditions.

Female kangaroos can reproduce extremely prolifically. They can have an embryo developed to 100 cells sitting in utero, waiting for the pouch to be free. As soon as the pouch is available and a joey is hopping at her side, she can give birth again. They can give birth to a 100-celled foetus within 24 hours of mating. They can be pregnant for 364 days of the year with multiple foetuses and able to suckle a joey, have one in the pouch and one embryo in status at the same time.

The Kangaroo Management Reference Group, which works to understand the issues facing our kangaroo populations, is traditionally a very inclusive board, with scientists, farmers, First Nations custodians, the RSPCA, local land service advisers and veterinarians around the table. Their objective is improving animal welfare outcomes for kangaroos. There are three predominant issues they address:

1. That kangaroo populations become overabundant after a good season, as I have previously indicated, with their opportunistic breeding adaption;

2. That this overpopulation leads to environmental and production strains such as overgrazing, landscape erosions and even acceleration of drought; and

3. That during drought there is often mass kangaroo die-offs due to thirst, starvation, disease susceptibility and, of course, road kill. I believe that that really goes to the heart of paragraph (d) of the member's motion in regard to the health and wellbeing of these animals.

Currently, through the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972, all common kangaroo species are protected. The NPW Act lays out that the impact of kangaroos can be managed through non-lethal methods, commercial destruction (by permitted kangaroo field processors) and non-commercial destruction (through permits to destroy wildlife, which landholders can apply for). Additionally, the commercial harvest of kangaroos in South Australia is regulated by both the NPW Act and the commonwealth's Environment Protection Biodiversity and Conservation Act 1999. Animal welfare standards are central, with commercial and non-commercial shooters both required to adhere to the respective code of practice.

It is also important to point out that, in order to guide and regulate the sustainable commercial harvest of kangaroos, our state has implemented the South Australian Commercial Kangaroo Management Plan. The plan enables harvesting to take place whilst balancing the long-term conservation of kangaroos, and identifies which species of kangaroos and wallabies can be harvested, where harvesting can occur, and informs sustainable harvest quotas.

To ensure that the plan is based on the best available scientific knowledge and management practices, it is updated every five years. In fact, in April of this year the department completed and released the review of the South Australian Commercial Kangaroo Management Plan 2020-24. Off the back of this review, the draft South Australian Commercial Kangaroo Management Plan for 2025-29 currently is out for consultation, with consultation closing 15 September this year. Notably, the draft plan for 2025-29 has five changes proposed, which are:

1. To prioritise conservation and animal welfare during an emergency event, such as bushfires, by adjusting quotas or shutting down commercial harvest subregions;

2. Introduce a more flexible risk-based approach to kangaroo surveying so efforts can go into areas with high harvest;

3. Where the risk of overharvesting is low based on the risk assessment, harvest quotas will be maintained for three years before being reduced to 10 per cent of the population estimate;

4. Enable small numbers of eastern grey kangaroos to be harvested in areas in addition to the Lower South-East harvest subregion when needed, allowing kangaroos to be used commercially that would otherwise be managed non-commercially; and

5. Expand the Hills and Fleurieu harvest subregion to include the Adelaide foothills and national parks and reserves to enable more consistent kangaroo management.

In accordance with the plan, government prepares an annual quota report, which sets the annual harvest quotas for each species in each of the harvest regions. The quotas are informed by the results of surveys of kangaroo populations performed through either aerial or ground surveys or model estimates.

The annual quota report allows for adjustment of the harvest quota based on seasonal data. The projected harvest for 2023 is just 18 per cent of the quota, which does not suggest an unsustainable harvest of the species. The harvest of kangaroos is already tightly regulated, using adaptive management strategies, which are informed by science and ensure that animal welfare standards are met. Legitimate concerns can and should be raised as part of the current and regular consultation on the Commercial Kangaroo Management Plan.

Obviously, and rightfully so, there is a much-deserved affinity for kangaroos and wallabies in the community. They are a loved animal and a national icon. They are an extremely important part of our natural ecosystem and I understand that there is public interest in the way they are treated and managed, and so there should be, but we must manage them as responsible stewards of the land. Australians have a long tradition of living off the land. First Nations people have been hunting kangaroos for food and textiles for millennia. In modern Australia, it is our responsibility to harvest kangaroos in a way that protects both the natural environment, developed land and our communities as well as the economy.

As I said in this place before, we need to view kangaroos as an asset, rather than as a pest. This is what the commercial kangaroo industry does for our state, and to that end it is also what the state regulator does, by providing the ability for landholders to purchase personal use yellow tags to utilise the carcass. In closing, it seems fitting that if there is to be in inquiry about this issue, the Natural Resources Committee is the most appropriate committee to have that conversation.

The Hon. B.R. HOOD (15:59): I rise just to put some thoughts on the record. I have struck out a fair bit, as the Hon. Nicola Centofanti has spoken to them. It is just out of interest, and I always love an 'any other related matters' in a committee. It is always a good one to chuck in there because then we can have a bit of a catch-all.

The motion arises while just this week South Australians were alerted to the fact that spring is one of the worst seasons for kangaroo collisions with vehicles. The RAA has confirmed that kangaroo collisions so far in 2024 have increased by 32 per cent on this time three years ago. Spring and autumn are the most likely seasons to encounter roadside roo. Due to our drier than usual winter, especially in the South-East, we are warned that kangaroos are likely to encroach closer to suburbia in search of food.

In fact, when I drive between Mount Gambier and Naracoorte, when I drive between Mount Gambier and Millicent, especially at night-time, the number of roos on the side of the road is quite phenomenal. It is just lucky that those roos are very used to vehicles travelling past and they do not seem to venture out too often, although my car has just come back from the crash repairer's after collecting one of those roos a little while ago. As yesterday's timely Glam Adelaide article points out—I do not read Glam Adelaide too much, but I did find this:

Fauna Rescue SA [had] attended [to] almost three times as many kangaroo call-outs between April and July this year compared to the same period in 2023.

Incredibly, 87 per cent of animals struck by vehicles on South Australian roads are kangaroos. So in the name of road safety, this certainly needs to be addressed as well in terms of the explosion of kangaroo numbers across the state in recent years, which has been well documented. The figures from DEW show a population of almost four million roos last year, an increase of about 100,000 from 2022 and a massive jump from just 2.7 million in 2021.

I recall a time in 2022 when I had a number of people reach out to me and express their concern that actually the numbers that were being counted, especially in the South-East, were lower than they thought because the count was only going out in the morning. They were not going out twice during the day, so they were not seeing the population or the numbers as they really sit when those kangaroos are out eating at night. It is important that we do know those numbers but as far as those numbers coming from DEW, there is quite a significant number of roos there.

Just to touch on a number of items within the motion from the honourable member, I also read with interest in last Friday's The Australian newspaper that recent advice provided to the Albanese government's Climate Change Authority in fact recommended eating kangaroo meat due to it being a lower emissions intensity product, which is great. I love to have a little bit of roo here and there as long as it is cooked properly.

Our farmers, our primary producers, our regional people more broadly—we are not cold-blooded kangaroo killers. We do like eating roo but we want to ensure that the roo population is kept at a sustainable level. As the Hon. Nicola Centofanti said, they are our national emblem, they are our national animal and we want to make sure that they are looked after and cared for as best that we can.

We want to make sure that the population density of our kangaroos does not result in excessive dangers to road users but is also sustainable so we do not see any animals suffering because of lack of feed or if the populations are too great. As I said, those DEW estimates are informed by aerial and ground surveys and they cover a vast area of at least 207,000 square kilometres. They provide the valuable insights to inform harvest quotas, from a commercial view, across the state for the coming year. That commercial quota is set at about 10 to 20 per cent of the estimated population size, and the report that comes from DEW is prepared annually.

While this year's data is still being compiled, it is still worthy to look at the 2023 population estimate data for the most accurate and up-to-date figures. What they show is that for red kangaroos their population has increased by 24 per cent on the previous year and is 33 per cent higher than the 20-year rolling average, sitting over about two million roos. For the western grey population, a decrease in their population overall was observed, but in the southern agricultural harvest area, which incorporates my patch in the South-East, they have increased by 11 per cent, and we have seen that on the roads. For the other major species they report on, the euro, or the common wallaroo, were found to have a 15 per cent increase in their population.

What the report does go on to mention is the actual commercial kangaroo harvest in 2022 in South Australia was just under 101,000 roos, meaning just 22 per cent of the approved quota of 455,000. These figures demonstrate a very sustainable level of harvesting, and one in fact that could actually be increased quite significantly should we choose to do that.

For all regional members of parliament and our constituents, encountering kangaroos on our regional roads is a frequent and real danger, and it is worth reiterating the road safety benefits of ensuring that we do not have an overabundant kangaroo population. It is of vital importance. I do support and echo the calls of Livestock SA, which is working with PIRSA to establish a greater market opportunity for commercial kangaroo meat and, in an unlikely development, I also support the Climate Change Authority's suggestion to eat more emissions-friendly meat, which includes kangaroos, but it does not mean that I will be giving up my beef and lamb any time soon.

In conclusion, whilst I echo the sentiments from the Hon. Nicola Centofanti that we do not support the motion for a select committee in and of itself, we do support the referral to the relevant parliamentary committee, being the Natural Resources Committee, and I look forward to investigating this issue that the honourable member has brought to the chamber.

The Hon. S.L. GAME (16:05): I rise briefly to address the honourable member's motion to establish a select committee to inquire about kangaroos and wallaby populations in South Australia. I echo many of the sentiments of my Liberal colleagues. As a veterinarian and animal lover, I acknowledge the concerns that have been raised by the honourable member and her supporters for this cause, plus their motivation for seeking a select committee of the Legislative Council.

I also recognise the need for scrutiny of commercial and non-commercial shooting of these animals, in addition to the need to hear the voices of wildlife carers and rescuers; however, I also understand the concerns of landowners who deal with property damage, and these native animals outcompeting sheep and cattle for food, plus the overgrazing of land. Rather than set up yet another select committee, I am comfortable supporting the amendment put forward by the government to send this matter to the Natural Resources Committee, a standing committee.

The Hon. M. EL DANNAWI (16:06): I rise to speak on the motion, and I move:

After paragraph 1.

Leave out the words 'That a select committee of the Legislative Council be established to' and insert the words 'That the Natural Resources Committee'.

Leave out paragraph 2.

Our native species and natural environments are precious. Making sure they are properly maintained is important to this government. Also of importance to this government is the topic of animal welfare. In the other place yesterday, the government introduced a bill to amend the Animal Welfare Act, which will see tougher penalties for people who abuse and neglect animals. There is simply no excuse for this type of behaviour. It has no place in our society. We know that this is a view that is reflected by many people in the community.

Commercial harvesting is where kangaroos are humanely culled by professional permitted shooters to be sold for meat and leather production. Kangaroo and wallaby populations that are involved in commercial harvesting are classified as abundant, and can at times cause a negative impact to the environment.

South of the dog fence, kangaroo populations have increased due to the removal of the dingo, increased water points and pastures. During years of high rainfall, kangaroos can build up to large numbers in local areas, and this can have a negative impact on native vegetation, agriculture and infrastructure. When conditions dry off, the kangaroos can then, unfortunately, die due to starvation.

The commercial harvest must be conducted in accordance with the National Code of Practice for the Humane Shooting of Kangaroos and Wallabies. It is important that any type of harvesting done can truly be described as humane. Best practice should always be pursued, and when best practices change, update and improve, we must make sure we are keeping up-to-date. Animal abuse is completely unacceptable, whether it is done to pets or to wildlife.

The government are moving an amendment to this motion to refer the matter to the Natural Resources Committee rather than a select committee. This simply acknowledges the large number of select committee inquiries currently underway, and ensures the matter can be addressed by the appropriate standing committee.

The Hon. T.A. FRANKS (16:09): I rise to thank those members who have made a contribution: the Hon. Mira El Dannawi, the Hon. Sarah Game, the Hon. Ben Hood and the Hon. Nicola Centofanti. Thank you for your contributions to this debate.

I welcome the government's support for a referral of this inquiry to the Natural Resources Committee, noting that I am actually a member of that committee and so I certainly look forward to exploring some of the intricate aspects of the debate. I would note that in New South Wales a similar inquiry blasted out of the water many of the assumptions made generally by the population and exposed a lack of science and rigour to some of those assumptions.

Having an inquiry will enable this parliament to hear all sides of the debate, the diversity of voices and also for the first time, I believe, hear from those wildlife rescuers and carers and consider their needs as well as part of this conversation. I hope that it will be a productive committee and that the report will be something that informs better practice moving forward.

I want to particularly thank all of those who have supported the inquiry with emails and letters to members of parliament. As members here know, we had a meet the joeys and carers event last sitting week in the old chamber, perhaps the first time we have had kangaroos in this parliament that were not on the menu.

The love-hate relationship that Australians have with what is one of our national icons is something that is often a vexed debate. I think tonight it has been a reasonably respectful debate, and I am sure the Natural Resources Committee will also be a very respectful and diverse forum, with the expertise of not just the witnesses and submissions we will take but, of course, the research team on that committee that will hopefully inform better practice in the future. With that, I commend the motion.

Amendment carried; motion as amended carried.