Tuesday, 18 June 2024

Mildura electorate

Jade BENHAM (Mildura) (14:49): (682) My question is for the Minister for Environment. Has the minister considered the impact that the lifting of the wild dog non-protection orders in the state’s north-west is having on the endangered malleefowl, and has he considered how it might be protected? In March under the wild dog program the non-protection orders for wild dogs were lifted in only the north-west of the state. This has resulted in many lambs during lambing season being taken by wild dogs. And let us not be mistaken: they are not native animals, they are not dingoes; they are feral dogs who hunt for sport. Sometimes they do not even kill these little lambs, they just maul them and leave them for dead, which is awful. But what is not being spoken about is that the north-west of this state is where the malleefowl lives, and many people are asking me why the Minister for Environment hates the malleefowl.