Legislative Council - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, Second Session (54-2)
2021-05-04 Daily Xml

Contents

Answers to Questions

Kangaroo Culling

9 The Hon. T.A. FRANKS (4 March 2021).

1. What supporting evidence has been used to determine the 'damage and significant impacts caused by kangaroos' referred to in the South Australian Commercial Kangaroo Management Plan 2020-24?

2. How is this 'damage and significant impact caused by kangaroos' determined in reference to the South Australian Commercial Kangaroo Management Plan 2020-24?

3. In correspondence with my office, the Department for Environment and Water have indicated that certain 'information, reports and field research in relation to the damage and significant impacts caused by kangaroos did not directly feed into the development of the South Australian Commercial Kangaroo Management Plan 2020-24'. Could the minister please explain why?

4. What are the figures for all non-commercially killed kangaroos in each South Australian individual harvest zone or subregion (not region) from 2009-20?

5. Why quotas for the commercial kangaroo harvest have continued to increase?

6. Are changes in the environment, such as droughts, factored into the quota system for the commercial kangaroo harvest?

7. What reports have been prepared by the Department for Environment and Water specifically about alleged kangaroo damage to crops, stock or other property? Could these reports be provided?

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK (Minister for Human Services): The Department for Environment and Water has advised:

The South Australian Commercial Kangaroo Management Plan 2020-2024 (the management plan) has been developed to guide the sustainable management of commercial kangaroo harvesting in South Australia, including setting sustainable harvest quotas to be calculated based on population surveys.

The kangaroo population can increase to unsustainable numbers, which can result in impacts to the environment, agriculture, built infrastructure and public safety. The management plan is not intended to go into detail about the impacts caused by abundant kangaroo populations, however, the impacts are detailed in published literature, which are referenced in the management plan.

The management plan considers changing environmental conditions—including the impact of droughts—and provides for the reduction in quota or closure of harvest zones when populations are low. Since 2019, commercial quotas have been reduced in some areas due to a natural decline in kangaroo numbers during drought conditions.

Non-commercial destruction statistics at the harvest region level are published annually as part of the Commercial Kangaroo Harvest Report, which is available on the Department for Environment and Water website. The Department for Environment and Water does not prepare specific reports in relation to damage to crops, stock or other property.