Wednesday, 28 August 2024

Corella control

Petition

Gaelle BROAD (Northern Victoria) (17:30): I rise to speak about a petition that I was pleased to sponsor and put to the house yesterday about the destruction from a plague of corellas and the damage that is causing to the Bridgewater community. It had 497 signatures, and locals certainly put the word out about that petition. It was in the Bridgewater bakery. I was invited to visit Bridgewater, meet with local residents and learn more about the impact, and I can tell you it has had a huge impact on their community. If you can imagine thousands of corellas screeching every single day, day after day, you may get an insight into what it is like to live with a plague of destructive corellas on your doorstep.

I heard from local residents that are trying to build houses in the region, and they are being pulled apart by these birds. The new housing estate is at risk of delays and additional costs. People who purchased property and had not actually visited the region in recent times – they just had memories of it from their childhood and they made the investment – were shocked when they moved and found these destructive corellas there. I know that the stunning river gums along the banks of the Loddon have absolutely been decimated. The leaves have been removed. Every tree has been host to hundreds of corellas, tree by tree.

I spoke to a gentleman who works in Bridgewater and has a fan that goes every single day just to drown out the screeching noise that is there. We know that corellas have caused damage to the powerlines, to the lights in the street there – and the list goes on. The tourism industry there – we have got the beautiful Bridgewater Caravan Park – is at risk, because if tourists come to the region and there is constant screeching, they certainly do not want to return.

This is something that has been having a huge impact on the mental health of residents, and this is an area that has actually been devastated by floods in recent years as well. So it is very disappointing that they have had very little support to address this issue. We know corellas have been a problem there since 2011. The community tried to manage it themselves but made hardly any dent on the problem. We know from previous patterns that they will return; it is just a matter of time. Although they have left currently, they will certainly be back. We know that corellas have had a big impact on areas of Kilmore, places like Axedale. We know golf courses have been chewed up.

The Victorian Corella Strategy 2022–2032was released last year, and it is a bit disappointing when you look at it because it is not very clear what the approved methods are to actually manage them and how to help communities navigate this very difficult issue. Some of the methods that are talked about are a scaring program, corella-proofing infrastructure, relocating food sources, doing decoy food sources, putting screens around tennis courts or bowling greens and visual barriers – but these visual barriers certainly do not work when you are doing broadacre cropping. It is interesting to note the corella management grant program closed earlier this year, but it does not actually permit lethal control mechanisms; it says they will not be supported.

I am certainly keen. I know Martha Haylett, the local member there in Ripon, is aware of this issue, and I really appreciate the work that the local residents have done in trying to raise their concerns about this issue. They really rely on the state government’s support because this issue is far bigger than they can manage by themselves. I congratulate the local community for raising the matter.