Wildlife roadstrike inquiry underway

The Legislative Council Economy and Infrastructure Committee is investigating the current legislative and regulatory frameworks that exist and examining their application and enforcement.

Increased urban development, decreased efficiency of current measures and a lack of wildlife prioritisation have prompted the Committee's inquiry.

Exploring preventive measures and establishing proper incident reporting services are another key focus.

Committee Chair Georgie Purcell outlined the need for new measures to protect wildlife due to increased overlap of urban and natural environments.

'The rapid destruction of their habitat is moving them closer to areas that are populated, and in Victoria they are hit by vehicles at alarming rates,' she said.

The true toll of this issue is unknown in Victoria, with currently no established mechanism for reporting incidents when an animal is struck by a motor vehicle.

“ 'Part of the reason for this inquiry is because there is no set reporting on incidents of roadstrikes.' ”

Committee Chair Georgie Purcell

'Currently our response to wildlife is an afterthought at best, but with careful consideration at the early stages we have the ability to heavily reduce the road toll.'

The inquiry is also looking at both paid and volunteer organisations’ contributions to animal rescue and rehabilitation and examining their involvement, training and expenditure.

'The majority of people who dedicate their time to care for native animals in Victoria do so voluntarily,' Ms Purcell said.

'The overworked wildlife sector is burnt out and many volunteers are forced to work multiple jobs to self-fund their transport and rescue equipment in order to perform the work.'

The Committee is searching for new strategies to implement, in addition to current preventative measures such as yellow road warning signs.

'There is a lot we can learn from experts both locally and internationally through this inquiry process,' Ms Purcell said.

The impact of roadstrike incidents on motorists, including major traumas and vehicle damage is also being considered by the inquiry.

The Legislative Council Economy and Infrastructure Committee is accepting public submissions until 30 May 2025.