Wednesday, 19 March 2025

Motions

Wombat protection

Georgie PURCELL (Northern Victoria) (10:31): I move:

That this house:

(1) notes that:

(a) the iconic wombat faces a number of threats across the state, including illegal shooting and legal shooting programs, sarcoptic mange, road strikes, habitat destruction and private keeping;

(b) bare-nosed wombats are now the only species of wombat in Victoria and populations are declining nationwide;

(c) the impact of the threats facing wombats is not fully understood as a total population count has not been conducted in Victoria;

(d) alternatives to lethal control have proven to be successful in wombat management on private property including the installation of wombat gates;

(e) wombats are ecological engineers who play an integral role by improving soil health and supporting bushfire recovery;

(2) calls on the government to:

(a) review the appropriateness of lethal control for wombats on the approved species list for authority-to-control-wildlife permits and explore alternative control measures;

(b) review the appropriateness of wombats on the species list for private-keeping-of-wildlife licences;

(c) consider undertaking a total population count of wombats in Victoria; and

(d) consider providing additional funding for wombat mange treatment in the upcoming 2025–26 budget process.

This is coincidentally a motion about wombats, and my office has been working on this issue for some time now, but probably it could not be more relevant after the events of the last week. We would have all seen by now the American tourist named Sam Jones, who is also a hunting influencer, and she stole a joey from their mother, running to the camera to show a distressed wombat to her Instagram followers, leaving the mother wombat visibly distressed by her loss. The man behind the camera was heard saying something that would be considered unparliamentary, and it was a terrifying experience for both the mum and the baby.

We heard from a whole lot of politicians about this topic. Home affairs minister Tony Burke stated:

I can’t wait for Australia to see the back of this individual.

The Deputy Prime Minister called her an idiot. Shadow finance minister Jane Hume said:

I can’t believe this silly, silly woman would do something so stupid, so irresponsible.

Penny Wong said the baby wombat should be left alone with its mum, and our own Prime Minister said that it was an outrage and suggested that she pick on an animal her own size.

But what many people do not realise when we are hearing this confected outrage and performance art from politicians – the government here in Victoria will also likely criticise this tourist today in this debate for picking up the wombat – and what they do not acknowledge is that here in Victoria we simultaneously allow for authority-to-control-wildlife permits, which are issued to kill them on the very land that they live on, and the only difference is that people do not know it is happening under this government.

In 2023 the Victorian government alone issued permits to kill 1902 wombats. In fact only recently it was legal to recreationally shoot wombats in parts of Victoria. To get a permit to kill wombats, only basic contact information is required, and no evidence of a valid gun licence or attempts to deploy non-lethal methods is requested. The Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action essentially has no record or oversight of who is carrying out the shootings, when they happen and how many animals are killed.

The ironic thing in all of this is that if Jones had instead applied for an authority-to-control-wildlife (ATCW) permit, she could have easily lied about the wombats causing nuisance on her property and killed the mum with a bullet and then, under instruction from the department, killed the baby by, as they advise, ‘destroying the brain’. That is a direct quote from the direction given when an ATCW permit is taken out. Jones would not have been required to show a gun licence or pictures to prove the wombats even exist at all. In as little as 24 hours, Jones could have received an ATCW permit from this government. Probably nobody would have uttered a word, because they would not have known, and it would not have been all over our Instagram feeds.

Perhaps the most disturbing thing about authority-to-control-wildlife permits being issued for wombats is that the ability to coexist without killing them is absolutely and entirely possible.

There is no justification for shooting a wombat that has decided to burrow close to residential housing when just the slightest bit of effort could resolve the issue without the violence that this government allows. With this motion we are not seeking for nonlethal ATCWs or dispersals to be removed. We are simply asking for their killing to be cut out of the question. Wombat swing gates can easily be installed to effectively remove a wombat from a property or allow them to pass through a suitable alternative route. These gates are put in place across a fence line and enable wombats to come in and out without damaging fences, something that many landowners will often cite when taking out a permit. There are also other types of cross-burrows that allow one-way access, so once a wombat has left the area they just cannot return. And wombats are actually using them here in this state. These have proven to have great success in a trial by the Wombat Protection Society of Australia, who currently provide them to landowners who would prefer to work with expert volunteer groups to install a set of gates than shoot a wombat’s face off. They even have videos on their website that teach handy people to make their own with materials they might just have lying around at home. Currently gates are being supplied by volunteer advocacy groups, and that is not uncommon. Wildlife groups are even resorting to making their own road strike caution signs to warn motorists of native species and the hotspots where they are hit because this government does not invest in anything when it comes to wildlife protection. This government should at the very least provide or subsidise these nonlethal alternatives and encourage landowners to utilise them because, as we have experienced, when it is offered to them, they will take the opportunity up.

I probably do not need to point this out, but wombats are not burrowing near properties to intentionally bother people. They move into residential areas often because we humans have destroyed their habitat. It is ironic that our solution to this problem that we have caused is to just kill them. The other thing I should point out is that wombats are known for their extensive, complex burrowing systems. If a wombat is shot by a landowner, leaving their burrow behind, another wombat is likely to move in, rather than start the lengthy and labour-intensive process of creating a new one. They are prone to moving in and making renovations to have a burrow that suits them. It is smart – in fact wombats are our smartest marsupial. But this is also why shooting a thousand wombats a year through ATCW permits is not only cruel, it is also just completely ineffective.

Personally, knowing what I do about wombats, I would be thrilled to see one of them on my own property. It would not cross my mind to spot one and then seek the approval to kill it. But currently, since our government deals with most perceived wildlife issues with violence and with what they deem to be the easy option, it is what a small percentage of Victorians are still opting for. By supporting this motion today, we could start to change that narrative and truly support our wildlife.

On Friday just last week, as were preparing for this motion, one of the brilliant wildlife rescuers in my electorate was called out to a deceased female wombat in Faraday in northern Victoria. Sam quickly noticed that she had a gunshot wound through the side of her head. On closer inspection, they noticed multiple gunshot wounds in her back and in her jaw. Performing a routine pouch check inspection, as wildlife rescuers do every single day as volunteers, Sam found a tiny newborn joey who was still alive but was far too young to survive without the critical care of their mum. Sam recalls hearing sounds of gunshots the night before and the harrowing realisation that they were coming from the very habitat that rehabilitated wombats in their care were recently released into. This incident was reported through the appropriate channels, but something clear to Sam and everyone who has utilised them is that nothing will come from it. Firstly, what happened to this wombat is not explicitly illegal. Had any person filled out a one-page document the week before, they would most likely have been handed the permit to inflict these horrific injuries by the very department that is also responsible for protecting native animals. And if they did not have a permit, how could the perpetrator ever possibly be traced?

They might not realise it, but how this government choose to treat native animals will be echoed by the broader community.

We only stopped allowing the recreational shooting of wombats, as I mentioned before, in 2020, yet there are other species we continue to allow it for, with the duck-shooting season literally starting in this state only hours ago. If we not only permit but encourage the shooting of our native species for fun in selected months of the year, how can we truly expect those who own guns to consider something like what happened to this wombat a wildlife crime? Because that is what it is. Similarly, on 18 February this year there was community outrage when 10 wombats were intentionally mowed down by drivers in Venus Bay in South Gippsland. It was a horrific, disgusting act of cruelty. Bass Coast police have described this as a deliberate destruction of wildlife and believe three four-wheel drives may have been involved. But still no-one has been charged for this, and as always, there are no consequences for killing wildlife and no protection of Victoria’s wombats, because the government is consistently blurring the lines on what is and what is not acceptable.

Hairy-nosed wombat species were once common across eastern Australia, but they are now one of the world’s most endangered animals, with just over 400 northern hairy-nosed wombats living in three secure locations across Queensland and around 60,000 southern hairy-nosed wombats living in South Australia, Western Australia and New South Wales. In Queensland, populations of southern hairy-nosed wombats dropped to as low as 35 individuals in the 1980s. Bare-nosed wombats, also known as the commons, are now the only species of wombat here in Victoria, and populations are declining nationwide. In fact a 2020 report by the Arthur Rylah institute acknowledges that there is no overall regional estimate for the number of wombats in Victoria. This is coupled with a limited understanding of the threats that they face. It was estimated that at least 21 per cent of suitable habitat for wombats had been affected by fires during that time, with 19 per cent of the overall population affected. Still today we only look to estimations. We do not actually have an overall, updated count, which is something desperately needed in order to understand how to protect our final wombat species from experiencing the same fate.

Wombats are also heavily impacted by mange, road strikes and habitat destruction. These native icons of the Australian landscape are under enormous threat, as too is the structure of the Australian ecosystem if there are no wombats. Yet our government is currently wilfully ignoring it. Not only do they ignore it, but they also play into this narrative that because farmers or private landowners complain about wombats on their properties, they just must be in plague proportions. It is unsurprising that we are in this situation with wombats, because we are also in the same one with native ducks, kangaroos and any other species this government approves the ongoing slaughter of. But the current approach of shooting frantically based on non-existent or fabricated datasets simply is not working.

The impending extinction of wombats in Victoria is entirely avoidable, but first we need to understand how many wombats actually live in Victoria and the percentage of them that are impacted by mange. Unlike introduced species who overgraze, causing soil erosion and the spread of weeds, wombats are good for the environment. We have this habit in Victoria of noticing what we perceive to be one kind of animal in one place and referring to them as pests. But wombats live in balance with their environment, doing very important work with the soil, bringing important nutrients to the surface, increasing water penetration and helping organic material and seeds to mix into compacted soil. They turn over tonnes of soil, and their cube-shaped poo increases nitrogen levels, boosting plant growth as well. One fascinating thing to understand is the accidental role that they actually play in bushfires. Their burrows provide a safe refuge underground for other animals. One study of a southern hairy-nosed wombat burrow found 90 metres of tunnel with at least 28 entrances. The temperatures inside are cool and stable, making them suitable hiding spots during extreme weather events. Camera traps in other parts of Australia have observed multiple species, including wallabies, lizards, birds and even penguins, using and sharing active wombat burrows for their own needs, including avoiding becoming prey.

As I mentioned before, one of the sad realities facing wombats is mange, and sharing burrows contributes to the spread of this mange. Sarcoptic mange is caused by parasitic mites that burrow under the skin surface and lay eggs that cause intense itching and pain. Over time the skin develops thick scabs and open sores that slowly take over the entire body. If left untreated, mange in wombats is fatal. Seeing a wombat with mange is absolutely devastating, but the condition is treatable. Current programs facilitated by Mange Management in Victoria and the Wombat Protection Society of Australia are showing great success by engaging landowners with the tools and knowledge to treat their resident wombats.

Other programs involve installing burrow flaps that spray medicine onto wombats as they enter and exit burrows, allowing them to self-medicate. It is estimated that around 1000 wombats are treated for mange in Victoria each year, but the number that die without treatment would be far higher. Although it is under research, experts expect that in some areas up to 90 per cent of wombats are impacted by mange. We need to understand this disease in order to treat it, and that is exactly what this motion is calling for – to properly assess the impact of mange and provide ongoing funding to the few groups that do tireless work to combat it, allowing them to treat more wombats and inspire those with resident wombats on their property to get involved too.

Something that I think will shock many members in this chamber and something that they will not know is under our current laws in this state you can also keep wombats as pets and buy them, trade or sell them under an advanced wildlife licence. Much like ATCW forms, it is easy to obtain the permit. For this one you merely need to state your name and address. That is it. No inspection will be conducted to ensure you can appropriately house or care for the native animal, nor that you even know anything about their care requirements. This is in contrast to the licensing of actual wildlife rehabilitators, who rescue, care for and release wombats that become sick or injured. To be licenced this way, wildlife rescuers are subject to training requirements and an extensive interview process that involves a home inspection and often ongoing ones. But the average individual can just keep a wombat as a pet, with nothing but their name and address provided to the government and the department.

Due to the historic difficulties in breeding captive wombats and their exorbitant cost on sites including Gumtree and Facebook, there is a clear incentive for wombats to be illegally taken from the wild to enter this wildlife trade. Even zoos, which can manipulate the environment wombats are kept in, struggle to breed them, so it is difficult to understand why the government would allow the everyday person to attempt it in their own home. Further, they allow it to go on without regulation or mandatory checks.

The ease with which someone could trap a wombat in the wild and sell their babies online or buy and release captive-bred wombats into the wild without scrutiny is deeply disturbing and should be concerning to all of us. When you look to the catastrophic issues within the wildlife trade of other countries such as America, it should be easy to understand why here in Victoria we should be doing everything that we can to stop it at a local level. I have seen images of native Australian species on American websites, and while their export is illegal, somehow they are still getting there. It is through misguided and reckless permit systems like this one that these very issues begin to emerge. No native wildlife should be allowed to be kept as pets, let alone a species with such an unstable and unknown wild population as the wombat. I am calling for the review of the basic and advanced wildlife licence species list, with the immediate removal of wombats, through this motion today as well.

In my office we have been talking about this suite of reforms as the wisdom package. If you did not know it, a wisdom is the name given to a group of wombats. The word ‘wombat’ is taken from the Dharug language of the Indigenous peoples of Sydney. The Wiradjuri named them ‘wambad’, and to many First Peoples wombats symbolise resourcefulness and close connection to the land. In Dreaming stories wombats impart valuable lessons to those who are smart enough to notice and appreciate them.

As I have listed off in my contribution today, there are so many reasons why we should be concerned for wombats in this state, and there are just so many reasons that we should be united in protecting them and ensuring that they do not become yet another species that becomes extinct under our state and federal governments.

While it was incredibly heartening to see the outrage and the uproar in response to the incident last week with the American influencer picking up a wombat, there is far worse that is being done behind closed doors and not on our phone screens by the very people who have been given the job of protecting wildlife. The only difference is that people just do not know about it. As we talk about this more and more in light of this situation, it has allowed us to open up the door to have this conversation. Victorians are outraged, and they want our government to do better. They want our government to protect our native animals, and they have been failing at that across the board. What this motion calls for today is the very least they can do to ensure that our wombat populations and our wombats across this state are protected into the future. I commend it to the house.

Jacinta ERMACORA (Western Victoria) (10:51): I thank Ms Purcell for the opportunity to speak on this issue. I have had a little bit to do with wombats, not a lot, but I appreciate and want to express my respect for her acknowledgement of the Wurundjeri name for wombats and why it is so. I think that is very important at the outset.

I have mentioned a couple of times that I like to get outdoors on my mountain bike and also that my enthusiasm is greater than my capabilities in that space. On occasion that has involved interaction with wombats. Certainly not direct interaction – from a distance. To me they are the quintessential Australian wildlife. Where else in the world can you find an animal that produces cube-shaped faeces? In fact many do not believe it when they see it. It does seem almost manufactured. Another fun fact about wombats that I am not sure everybody knows is that they are indeed, as you say in the motion, Ms Purcell, ecological engineers. They also have this uncanny ability to protect themselves. In digging their holes they use their buttock muscles – they climb in and jam the door. They jam the access to the hole with their muscly rear ends. I am sure this chamber really needed to know that, but it is an adaptation that has occurred. I understand that it is quite effective for protection of wombats against foxes, so good on them. I have been endearingly menaced in the middle of the night by a wombat, who perhaps wanted my muesli bars, and I have been kept company by a wombat at a camp fire.

Like most Australians, I know better than to approach or touch any of our wildlife – unlike the ignorant and possibly narcissistic actions of an influencer who removed a wombat joey from its mother last week. This is extremely concerning. I do suspect that there is a different culture in America about the collection of wildlife. I have met people in the US who have been curious about Australian wildlife and have quite openly declared to me that they collect Australian birds or Australian animals, completely unaware that this is a terribly distressing thing for the animals involved, to be taken completely and utterly out of their own environment, but also ecologically and environmentally distressing, not to mention illegal. I think the actions of the influencer were, perhaps ignorantly, very irresponsible.

I think it was good that there was lots of outrage at her conduct. I just wonder too if it calls into question the role of influencers in our community and in our society. It is a good reminder that sometimes what we see in social media from influencers is there to increase their exposure, is perhaps not very connected to the truth or facts and is more about their own self-promotion. This little joey that we saw last week on social media, I think we could see the distress in that little young animal, and we certainly could see, momentarily, the distress of the mother. All of that distress was the sacrifice for self-promotion and influencing, which, after all, is a way that some people make a living. I would like to see influencers doing so through the truth and through good works and good deeds rather than by stretching their exposure and using little animals or any other issue as a tool for their own self-promotion.

I want to address a couple of issues before I finish off. I am someone who was raised on a farm, and throughout my childhood and life my family have interacted with native animals on the farm. Kangaroos, snakes, a lot of wallabies, that is mostly what we interacted with, not often wombats. I can vouch for the farming community: there is no willy-nilly slaughter of wombats. There is management of wombats, but in the same way that farmers care about living human beings, they do the same with native animals on the whole.

The Daily Mail Australia posted an article on its website on 15 March 2025 entitled ‘Aussie farmers fire back at American influencer’s insulting claims: we DON’T slaughter wombats.’ It quotes interviews with two residents from wombat country in South Gippsland, Len Price and Maurice Hetherington. Mr Price said:

We don’t roam our properties, shooting wombats just because they dig burrows in paddocks …

Let’s remember they’re a protected species. Farmers understand that they come with the landscape.

Mr Hetherington said he had never killed a wombat in 65 years of rural living. He said:

They certainly dig burrows on our property and the surrounding land but I’d never kill one because it’s their home too …

This certainly reflects my experience of farmers and the rural community’s relationship with wildlife that surrounds them. There are management practices that are allowed. Non-lethal control options recommended by the Department of Energy, Environment, Climate Action include marking burrows with posts to avoid damage to vehicles, preventing burrowing under buildings or into dam walls by installing reinforced mesh or electric fencing, and, yes, the construction of wombat gates. DEECA even provide plans for the design of a wombat gate for landowners to use to make their very own versions.

DEECA are also less likely to authorise management around boundary fences. The edges of pasture are highly productive habitat for wombats, which means the removal of any individual wombat is only likely to result in their replacement with another. So as always, the best thing we can do to protect wildlife populations is take a systematic and respectful approach. Tempting as it might be to react to the video of a would-be influencer endangering a baby wombat, a grab bag of wombat-related initiatives is not the right approach.

The right approach is to manage our magnificent natural assets and the animals that live in them in a measured way. I would like to say that the Allan Labor government is currently consulting with Victorians on how we manage our 1.8 million hectares of forest so that people and wombats can continue to enjoy them well into the future. I think we will let the wombats have the last word. I really wish that the wombat mother and her little baby actually were down in the burrow when that influencer was around and perhaps had the hole blocked as I described earlier, because that would have been better than what happened on the social media post.

Melina BATH (Eastern Victoria) (11:00): I rise on behalf of the Liberals and Nationals to speak on the motion standing in Ms Purcell’s name, 881. In doing so I want to put from the outset that the Liberals and the Nationals know that there are some elements of this motion that are reasonable and that we could abide by and which we could support. I will speak to some of those. There is also one in particular that we cannot abide by and we will not support, so we will oppose this motion.

It is interesting that a lot can happen in a few days. From Monday, as reported in the Herald Sun:

Ms Purcell will this week force a debate in parliament calling on the government to stop wombat culling, conduct a population count and dedicate funding a mange treatment program.

‘Stop’ – ban wombat culling. By that it means the authority-to-control-wildlife permit, which is a legal permit that farmers use to control wildlife, and in this particular case, wombats. Now on Wednesday it has shifted. There have been discussions that we are not aware of. There have been discussions and the government said, ‘That’s a bridge too far, but why don’t you go in for a review of the appropriateness of lethal control for wombats?’ We know where the Animal Justice Party want to take basically all farmers – unless you are a lentil farmer, a soy farmer or a rice farmer. We know the Animal Justice Party want to eliminate livestock farming altogether and put a ban on livestock farming, and we have known that since Ms Purcell’s former colleague Mr Meddick walked in here and cast his comments in this chamber and in the community. I will start by saying something has changed between a ban on Monday and a review on Wednesday, but we know where the Animal Justice Party want to go, and we will not be able to support this motion.

However, there are elements within this motion that I think deserve a forensic look, and I am happy to provide some context and comments. I will go through the motion piece by piece.

(1) (a) the iconic wombat faces a number of threats across the state, including illegal shooting …

Indeed we saw in my electorate, not far from home in wonderful Venus Bay, some atrocious behaviour from recalcitrant human beings. It is unacceptable conduct, thinking that it is in any way reasonable – they are deluded individuals – that they could go out one night and do a bit illegal sport shooting of a protected species in an area that is highly populated in beautiful Venus Bay, where nature meets population and the township. They potentially – allegedly – shot 10 wombats and then went on into other areas as well. This is completely unacceptable, and I thank the community who raised it with me. I have also written to the minister asking what more can be done in this space. We know we do not have enough police force members across regional Victoria, particularly in that South Gippsland area – it is a thin blue line – but also, what is the government doing in relation to protecting wildlife species in terms of rangers and the like? A ranger is not going to sit waiting for a crazed person in the middle of the night, I understand that, but what is the government going to do? The Nationals and Liberals have been active in this space, and we condemn that sort of behaviour.

The other part, part (c) states:

the impact of the threats facing wombats is not fully understood as a total population count has not been conducted in Victoria …

The Arthur Rylah Institute back about four years ago estimated the population of wombats at around 433,000. That is now an old figure, but also it is probably quite a conservative figure because clearly that is an estimate. I have seen in the past where Arthur Rylah have certainly been conservative in their estimates of other wildlife.

In relation to the greatest threat, the greatest threat facing wombats is actually out-of-control bushfires. The Arthur Rylah Institute also provided some context: in the 2019–20 bushfires in the eastern part of the state approximately 3 billion animals were destroyed, incinerated, both domestic and native fauna. They estimate that 83,000 wombats were annihilated. If this government and the Animal Justice Party would like to support a number of endeavours, such as widening and broadening preparatory burns, soft burns, gentle burns that do not scorch the canopy, conducted in the right timeframes, then these animals during those periods of preparatory burns can actually run away and remove themselves overwhelmingly from these cooler burns. Also, firestick burns – I have been a long-time proponent of cool Indigenous firestick burns – are very much gentle burns conducted in the right situations and conditions and, again, can facilitate reduction in bushfire load and reduction of fire load across the forest estate, and therefore the intensity when bushfires come is not so great. There have been many, many evidentiary papers and investigations into that. So if the AJP want to really support protection of species, they should be supporting preparatory burns and cool burns and not the annihilation, the incineration, of 83,000-plus wombats that we saw in the previous fire.

The other thing that the government does, and this is something that we have supported, is produce these ATCWs – authority-to-control-wildlife lethal permits. Part (d) of this motion looks at lethal control. There are a whole range of parameters around being granted a permit: you must comply with the Firearms Act; if it is a public place you must have a public place permit; depending on the location, you have to check with local councils if this is a farmer applying for a permit; you have comply with the Environment Protection Act 2017 and the environment protection regulations; you can be assessed by a Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action officer, who may come out and access your property; you must avoid breaching the Wildlife Act 1975 and the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1986; and the Conservation Regulator can come in and assess. And not all applications are successful. It goes to that point that prior to 2020 we did not have ATCWs for wombats, and now they exist – if you look at 1900 in 2023, and 83,000 incinerated in 2020 in the bushfires.

I also want to reference the same article that Ms Ermacora did in relation to Len Price and his very important words:

Let’s remember they’re a protected species. Farmers understand that they come with the landscape.

Farmers do not go out and shoot them willy-nilly.

The other point I want to talk about is the importance of – and this motion goes to it – ecological engineers and soil health. We have got ‘friends of’ out in the hall today – friends of various areas. We have got certainly friends of Mount Worth and others. We have got Landcare there. Landcare is a vital, vital movement, and I thank them all for being here. There is a compelling case for continuing to support habitat restoration, soil health and the continual flourishment of wombats. I endorse the groups for being here today.

As I said, in relation to the ATCW, the authority to control wildlife, the agenda of the Animal Justice Party is to stop those permits entirely. They have had a chat and the government has said water it down a bit between now and then. We know that it is a last resort when all other activities have been tried by farmers. We know that it is heavily regulated, and we certainly know that we will not be supporting a motion that, in the end, seeks to close this down as an option.

The other point I make is that the government has been very tardy on its forest review. It also needs to present the review of the Wildlife Act 1975 to Parliament. We are happy to see that and refresh that particular act.

Sarah MANSFIELD (Western Victoria) (11:11): On behalf of the Victorian Greens I would like to thank Ms Purcell for bringing this motion before the chamber today, and I flag that the Greens strongly support the motion. It goes to the heart of what the Greens have been calling for, which is a review of the Wildlife Act 1975 and the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988, because what is happening with the wombat population here in Victoria is yet another example of how our laws are failing nature. Wombat populations in Victoria, as Ms Purcell outlined, are declining. The bare-nosed wombat is the only species currently found in Victoria, but even so we do not have a strong idea of the species population count. With the threats of habitat destruction from climate change, death from road strikes and conditions like mange increasing, it is becoming increasingly important that the government take assertive action to support the wellbeing of this species.

Last week there was outrage – it has already been mentioned by a number of contributors – when a video of a woman picking up a wombat circulated around the internet. It is not hard to see from the response to this video that there is really strong community affection for this species. But the outrage from our political leaders was a joke given that it has not been matched by meaningful action to strengthen our laws to protect wombats. While some find wombats hard to live with – farmers may find wombat holes dug in their paddocks frustrating or damage to their fences tedious to repair – what is needed is for the government to support initiatives that work around these behaviours rather than turning a blind eye to reactive behaviours that put these populations in danger.

In fact behaviours that are seen by some as destructive, such as digging and burrowing, actually play a really important part in ecosystem health. Studies show that while Australia was once home to 29 digging mammal species, only six are still present in the wild. These mammals, with their digging and scratching, break up hard soils, which supports seedling growth and improves water infiltration. It can even assist with the spreading of important fungi spores across landscapes. These animals belong here. This is their home, and we are the source of the destruction. Wombats are not just a cute national emblem. They also play a critical part in our ecosystems, and they deserve protection.

But we know that our nature laws are not up to scratch. I would like to take this opportunity to once again reiterate that the buried review of the Wildlife Act must be released and acted upon. This motion further demonstrates that there are significant systemic issues inherent in our current wildlife protections. Whilst we can continue to advocate for action one species at a time, what we need is a systemwide response to our threatened species. Victoria is facing ecosystem collapse. 2000 species are at risk of extinction, and so, so much work needs to be done to address this. We know that this is a significant undertaking, but Labor already has most of the solutions in the form of the Wildlife Act review and the ecosystems decline inquiry. It has had these recommendations for three years now. Why haven’t they responded? Why aren’t they taking action? It is shameful. Once we lose these species and ecosystems we lose them forever. Is the legacy of this government going to be one of biodiversity collapse and ecosystem loss? Is that they want? If not, it is time they took action and fixed our broken environment laws, massively lifted investment in nature and prioritised biodiversity in this state.

Michael GALEA (South-Eastern Metropolitan) (11:15): I cannot help but feel just a little bit paternal when we talk about wombats in this place. I am very excited to be speaking on the motion today that has been put, indeed, around about 12 months after our previous motion on wombats that Ms Purcell brought before us. Wombats are very special creatures, and a few contributions have already been made by many members, including Ms Purcell and Ms Ermacora, with some very fascinating facts that I now know as a result of these contributions. But they are special creatures. They are one of our native animals. They have been here for centuries, and it is really important that, when it does come to all the very valid issues such as climate change and land use and especially encroachment on their spaces, we are doing everything that we can to support our native wildlife populations. That certainly includes very precious, very cuddly wombats. I will come back to some comments about the topic that everyone has been talking about in just a bit, but I do want to at the outset just note for the chamber that the government will be supporting this motion today. It is a motion that seeks to improve some controls, implement some reviews and undertake some research, and that can only be a good thing. I do thank Ms Purcell for working constructively with the government and with the minister and his office too to come to a point where we can indeed be supportive.

Bev McArthur interjected.

Michael GALEA: Sorry, Mrs McArthur, I missed your interjection. I am usually all the worse when I do miss your interjections, because they add a lot of value. But I can say that the government will specifically be supporting this motion for the review of the appropriateness of lethal control arrangements for wombats under the authority-to-control-wildlife system, noting of course, as others have mentioned, that control arrangements can still be important in some cases for farmers to manage their property. We will also be supporting a review into the appropriateness of wombats on the private-keeping-of-wildlife list. We will be considering undertaking a total population count of wombats in Victoria – noting, as others have mentioned, that the Arthur Rylah Institute estimated that the statewide population of common wombats was around 433,000 in 2020. We will also be considering providing additional funding for wombat mange treatment, noting again the support that the Victorian government has provided over the last four years in considerable ways, including through wildlife rehabilitator grants and through other methods.

I think it is also worth mentioning the point that, when it comes to investigations of bad behaviour, we saw allegations of a fairly serious incident at Venus Bay, and through the conservation regulator the Victorian government is continuing to work with Victoria Police to investigate the deaths of those wombats at Venus Bay. The regulator recently put out a further call to members of the public to assist with the investigation, and I will take the opportunity to really implore anyone who has any such knowledge in any way, big or small, that might be able to assist to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000. I understand that there is no further information that the regulator can provide at this time, and that is to be expected as the matter remains under investigation. But I know I speak for many if not all in this chamber when I say that we hope that investigation will be successful and we very much sincerely hope that we do not see that sort of activity take place again.

Without going too far into this, I think it is important to note one of the nation’s biggest stories in the past week, and I note Ms Purcell’s comments on that as well. We did see a very horrific video come out of a woman bothering a baby wombat, causing it serious distress. I have to admit I had to turn the volume off on the video. I could not watch it with full volume, because it was just quite frankly very distressing seeing the mother have its child snatched away for the purpose of being held up, and possibly injuring the wombat all for the sake of a video. It is vapid, it is vain and it is a horrendous way to treat any living creature.

I am not opposed to hunting per se. Obviously we can go into various different discussions and different topics and more nuanced details there, but I do not oppose the rights of people to hunt for food. But to bother an animal like that, to grab it from its mother, is despicable. It warrants every bit of outrage that this issue has generated. I do take issue with Ms Purcell calling it ‘confected outrage’, because I do not think it is confected outrage; it is genuine outrage. We have seen bipartisanship from the Prime Minister down with his comments. It is actually a good thing, because it is making the conversation about our wildlife. It is making the conversation about wombats. I dare say that this particular motion will be receiving far more publicity today as a result of that news story than it otherwise would have, noting of course that this is something that Ms Purcell has been working on for some time. It is perfectly justifiable for us to be outraged at this. It is not confected. There is always more that we can do, and that is indeed why the government will be supporting the motion today. There is more that we can do, as this case shows. But to accuse politicians of making up outrage when I actually do not think they are is simply not fair. It is actually undermining the very argument that you are seeking to make. We should be outraged about this.

There is absolutely no place for violence against anyone, even against this individual, but the public has every right to be outraged and wants to know the truth. That is a good thing, because that stimulates conversation about how we can protect our wildlife, specifically in this instance and more broadly as well. I note that the seppo wombat botherer has already left the country and let us hope her equally despicable friend goes with her. It is an extraordinary attack on our native wildlife, and to see Australians unite over this has been a good thing. It is a good thing – not for this wombat; it is, again, very distressing – because it is making us talk about how we do regard our native wildlife, how we do look after our wombats or in some cases how we do not look after our wombats well enough. That is what this motion today is all about. I actually think it is a good thing that we have had that discussion. In adding my voice to the outrage at the actions of the seppo wombat botherer and her despicable friend, I think we should be capturing that – not just letting it end there – capturing the spirit of the justifiable and genuine outrage and channelling that into achieving better outcomes for all wombats. We have an opportunity to do that here in the state of Victoria with this motion today. That is why I am so pleased that the government will be supporting this motion.

Bev McARTHUR (Western Victoria) (11:23): I rise also with my colleague Ms Bath to speak on this motion 881 by Ms Purcell. Ms Purcell, I admire your passion for animals, and I would actually like to think that everybody in this place was passionate about animals – I know I am. We do not ever want to see animals badly treated. I take issue with you sometimes –

Georgie Purcell interjected.

Bev McARTHUR: Not all the time, just sometimes. A lot of derogatory lines get permeated here about how bad farmers are. I am standing up for farmers and Ms Bath stands up for farmers and my colleague Dr Heath here stands up for farmers. If it were not for farmers, you would all be starving for a start – that might be a good thing if some of us ate less, speaking for myself. They do a fantastic job in providing the food for all of us and for our exports. I mean, where would we be without agricultural exports? Just bear in mind that farmers do do a very good job and they do care about all animals, including the ones they are producing and the wildlife they have to put up with sometimes.

We have heard about this dreadful publicity stunt of some influencer. I must say, I thought we were the influencers, but there is this new breed of people called influencers.

Anyway, some sort of influencer got on television to do with this wombat. I remember another publicity stunt that happened, actually in the last term. You were around about this place, Ms Purcell, but you were not actually in the chamber at the time. It is to do with Angel. For all of you who were not around, Angel was a baby goat. Angel was extracted from the Gippy Goat farm, taken and put in a car. This was cruelty on steroids.

Georgie Purcell: On a point of order, Acting Speaker, the motion is very specifically about wombats, and I would note there was a previous ruling where the same topic was brought up and the member was brought back to the motion.

The ACTING PRESIDENT (Jeff Bourman): Do you want to have a say on it, Mrs McArthur?

Bev McARTHUR: On the point of order, Acting President, I do think the debate has been fairly wideranging. I mean, we have gone to rectangular faeces and muesli bars, even.

Michael Galea: Further on the point of order, Acting President, Ms Ermacora’s contribution, whilst it was about rectangular-shaped poo, was specifically about wombat poo.

The ACTING PRESIDENT (Jeff Bourman): Let me ruminate about this for a moment. I will bring you back to the topic du jour, Mrs McArthur.

Bev McARTHUR: While we are talking about rectangular-shaped faeces, this poor little goat had a nappy applied to it. I think that was cruelty on steroids for a bit of publicity. I do not know whether that was by an influencer, but it was an animal activist anyway.

Ms Purcell is calling on the government to do a total population count. I have got serious apprehensions about the government counting. They are not so good with numbers really, and their ability to count animals really leaves a lot to be desired. I have called them out when they have been trying to count brumbies; they got that completely wrong. Ms Purcell, I know you are concerned about this.

Members interjecting.

Bev McARTHUR: They have difficulty counting, Ms Purcell. This is a major problem. They got the brumby count wrong. They got the kangaroo count wrong. I detailed just yesterday – I think it was yesterday or the day before – the fact that they cannot count kangaroos properly. Take the koalas as well – while we have done away with locking up the forests, we are now growing eucalypts at a massive rate, and that is more food for koalas, so we are growing them exponentially as well. Then there are wild dogs. We cannot count wild dogs. When is wild dog a dingo? It is quite a major problem. And, Acting President Bourman, you would be aware of how bad they are at doing the duck counts. So asking them to do more counting, Ms Purcell, is probably not a very good idea. I think they get more involved in the politics than the science, and I just do not think that is a good idea.

But if we are really concerned about the wombats and the life of wombats, we would have to be extraordinarily worried about the fact that – what was it, Ms Bath?

Melina Bath interjected.

Bev McARTHUR: 83,000 wombats were incinerated in one bushfire alone. If you were really worried about them, you would have to get involved in the reduction of fuel in forests. You are locking up the forests and you are throwing away the keys. You are actually making it harder for the wombats and every other fabulous native animal to survive because you are opposed to cool burning. If you reduce the fuel loads, you are going to save the wombats. Here is a really easy way to save the wombats.

I know you are interested in additional funding for wombat mange. This is meritorious, I agree, but I am actually passionate about making sure we just get a paltry million dollars to save the lives of children with bowel diseases. Really, the government have to get their priorities right in these matters, and I think we have got to be very careful. I do not know whether they had mange pre-settlement. Is this a recent phenomenon? I suppose if we did a major study on wombat mange, we might find out. But I would like to think that if we were a bit short of funds, we would direct them to children who are dying and make their lives better.

Dr Mansfield mentioned an ecosystem. Extraordinarily, a biolink near the Lerderderg forest is going to be completely decimated by transmission towers. If you were really worried about native wildlife, you would not cut a swathe through a biolink for which 45 farmers gave up land. Some of them are out there in Queen’s Hall at the moment; they are in the Landcare exhibition. They gave up their land, and hundreds and hundreds of thousands of trees were planted. Even schoolchildren planted them. A swathe is going to be cut through that biolink, and that will be a real problem for wildlife, including the wombats.

Let us make sure we get our priorities right here. I must say, I am with you. I do not know why you would want to keep a wombat as a pet. That does beggar belief a bit. I mean, I am struggling to keep the dog as a pet. Keeping a wombat would just be beyond my capacity, and I cannot imagine why you want to do that. Let us have a look at keeping wombats as pets. Maybe that is not a good idea.

We need permits for farmers to make sure they can control their wildlife. Do you know what? Give you an inch and you will take a mile, Ms Purcell. I am terribly worried that you will get this permit banned for farmers and the next minute they will not be able to get rid of the kangaroos. I can tell you that we have got no food out in the country at the moment. There is no food for livestock. There is barely any water; we are carting water. The kangaroos are decimating all our fencing and eating what foliage that there is for animals that you – not you, but others might want to eat.

There are a lot of requirements for somebody to get a lethal permit. I am grateful to Ms Bath for giving me this fabulous information. You have got to comply with the Firearms Act 1996. I would be lost after the first stop. You need a public place permit, depending on the location of activity. I have never heard of a public place permit, but there is such a thing. Then you have got to check with your local council – hopefully they know where the wombats are – and comply with the Environment Protection Act 2017 and the Environment Protection Regulations 2021. You have got to be assessed by a Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action officer. Have you got any left? You keep sacking people out in the field – all those 150 Parks Victoria –

The PRESIDENT: I am sorry, Mrs McArthur –

Bev McARTHUR: Do not tell me I have finished, President.

The PRESIDENT: Your time has expired. If anyone seeks leave to extend your contribution, I will deny it.

Rachel PAYNE (South-Eastern Metropolitan) (11:33): It is a hard act to follow Mrs McArthur, but I do rise to speak to this motion on behalf of Legalise Cannabis Victoria. Like many here in the chamber today, I found it was deeply disturbing to see the recent footage of that American influencer laughing while taking a wombat joey from its mother. As someone who does follow Ms Purcell on social media, I think the only person we want to see on social media interacting with wombats is Ms Purcell when she visits the wildlife rescue. One particular video that I am quite partial to relates to a kissy-faced wombat. I continue to support those wildlife rescue initiatives.

Like my colleague Ms Purcell, I felt this outrage failed to confront our society’s involvement in wildlife destruction and how governments often put killing before coexistence. This motion sensibly requests a number of things that will meaningfully help improve the treatment of wombats in Victoria, including a review of the appropriateness of lethal control for wombats on the approved species list for authority-to-control-wildlife permits, and for the government to explore alternative control measures. It will review the appropriateness of wombats on the species list for private-keeping-of-wildlife licences, consider undertaking a total population count of wombats in Victoria and consider providing additional funding for wombat mange treatment in the upcoming 2025–26 budget process.

I would like to begin by discussing the authority-to-control-wildlife permits program. These licences that apply to many of our native animals, including wombats, give landholders a licence to kill. There is a disturbingly small amount of information that must be supplied to obtain these licences. You do not need to provide proof of having tried nonlethal methods, nor do you need to provide evidence of a valid gun licence. This kind of licence scheme essentially lets every Tom, Dick and Harry go out and kill native wildlife without any oversight, and in 2023, 1902 of these licences were issued, but no-one knows how many were actually killed. It is not uncommon that shot animals are not killed instantly, or that when they are those joeys are orphaned. The wildlife carer community is left to pick up the pieces, and this is a broken system.

What is our world coming to, when I can tick a box to get a licence to kill native wombats, but I still cannot legally consume cannabis? There is no shortage of viable nonlethal alternatives. In the current context of declining population figures for wombats, we must learn from the mistakes of our past and fully explore these alternatives. For too long, habitat destruction, road strikes, mange and lethal control permits have all been contributing to the negative impact on wombat populations. In Queensland populations of the southern hairy-nosed wombat dropped to as low as 35 in the 1980s. We could not allow our native species to again be threatened in this way.

Another important issue raised by this motion is the existence of advanced wildlife licences. Disturbingly, these also only require minimum information to be provided before they are issued. These licences allow people to acquire captive-bred wombats as pets and buy, trade or sell them. They do not require any prior knowledge of the species, and they incentivise taking wombats out of the wild to be illegally traded. Native animals with unstable wild populations should not be able to be privately kept in this way.

Finally, this motion raises the issue of mange in wombats, pushing for investment in long-term mange management and research programs. Mange is an awful thing, fatal if untreated in wombats. Promisingly, programs of Mange Management Victoria and the Wombat Protection Society of Australia show success in combating mange. They are experimenting with different self-medication mechanisms and engaging and resourcing landowners to treat resident wombats, but as this motion indicates, combating mange must be informed by investment in data collection for a total population count of wombats in Victoria to effectively manage wombat populations in Victoria. Without an understanding of rates of mange in wombats, government decision-making capabilities will be limited.

Legalise Cannabis Victoria supports this motion, and we thank Ms Purcell for her continued advocacy for our voiceless furry friends.

Jeff BOURMAN (Eastern Victoria) (11:38): I stand up to make a short contribution to this motion. I will not be supporting it. I do not think that will be particularly surprising. But I am actually quite fond of wombats. I believe that authority-to-control-wildlife permits should not be given unless they are necessary, and that is why we have a system. We have a system where you can get the permit, but it does not necessarily follow that you can just go out to shoot them. Just to expand on what Ms Payne said, you do not need a shooters licence to get one, but you need a shooters licence to actually execute, pardon the pun, the permit. So everything that Ms Bath and Mrs McArthur said is true. It is not a licence – well, it is a licence to kill, but it is a licence to do a surgical removal. I would like to hope that those permits are not just issued willy-nilly, because I know a lot of people complain about how hard they are to get, and they are only issued when they are needed.

The mange stuff – absolutely. Mange is a horrendous disease. Unfortunately it is not just kept to wombats. There are a lot of other animals that get it, and I am not even aware of a proper cure. It is effectively a long-term death sentence.

I am going to finish off my contribution with a bit of commentary. Over the last day I have sat here and listened to outrage for people’s visa status when they are being searched by the police, or armed offenders being done by the police, and outrage over wombats, but never outrage for the victims of crime by a certain part of this Parliament.

Tom McINTOSH (Eastern Victoria) (11:40): Thank you for the opportunity to rise and speak on this motion. The Allan Labor government has a strong commitment to protecting the environment, promoting animal welfare and supporting environmental volunteering and the Landcare program. I think there is no better example than that. If you look into Queen’s Hall behind us today, it is full of volunteer Landcare and ‘friends of’ groups from all across Victoria. It is absolutely buzzing in there. I will just give a quick little plug: at 1 o’clock today we are going to have the Minister for Environment and the Shadow Minister for Environment in there speaking to volunteers from all across our state who are dedicating themselves to improving the local environments of the places in which they live. Whether that is farmland or public land, they are all getting in there and doing incredible work.

I was up at Korumburra just last week with the Korumburra Landcare Group on one of the farms, on Jim Ahon’s property. Through a seed grant amount that the Landcare group received they have set up their own nursery, and it is incredible, with plants growing all throughout this beautiful property in the hills of Korumburra. That is then being taken and either given away or sold at a discounted rate to other groups to plant out rail trail areas or other areas that create really good biodiversity links, areas that are identified as high value. This benefits us in so many ways. It is obviously a benefit to everyone living in all the areas that our Landcare members and volunteers are working on through the enjoyment of the local areas and local spaces, connecting different areas of biodiversity value so our animals can move between them and protecting against erosion, salinity and all sorts of things, which so many groups have done over time. I just wanted to note that and give that a bit of a plug, so thank you for allowing me to do that.

The efforts of the state government are crucial for maintaining the health and the balance of our ecosystems, which provide essential functions for us through clean air, water, productive soils and natural pest control. It is when we get these sustainable balances right that we all benefit, and we cannot benefit economically if environmentally our natural balances are not in place. The state government has invested over $609 million to make sure our biodiversity is healthy, strong and valued across the state. It is the largest ever investment in biodiversity by any government. Since 2008 the Victorian government has invested a total of $3.2 million in wildlife rehabilitator grants, which I think have been really important for so many of our wildlife but indeed for wombats, which we are here to talk about today. As other colleagues have mentioned, the government supports this motion from Ms Purcell, who has just joined us here in the chamber.

Georgie Purcell: I was gone 2 minutes.

Tom McINTOSH: Just ducked out, sorry – I meant to say, ‘who is with us in the chamber’. We support the motion that has been put. On the investment in wombat management, as I stated before, since 2008 the Victorian government has invested a total of $3.2 million in the wildlife rehabilitator grants. The Victorian government has allocated a total of $300,000 for the 2024–25 wildlife rehabilitator grants to support authorised shelter operators and foster carers to rehabilitate sick, injured or orphaned wildlife, with the goal of releasing these animals back into the wild. Authorised shelter operators and foster carers have provided records about wombat rescue and rehabilitation across the state. The Victorian government has also provided over $2 million to support specific wildlife projects, such as wombat gate trials across Ripon, Bungalook Creek Wildlife Shelter and East Trentham Wildlife Shelter, since 2015–16.

In 2020 the Victorian government committed $400,000 over four years to Mange Management, who have undertaken the important work of the government’s commitments to tackle mange in wombats. It can cause significant health and welfare impacts for individual wombats. Research undertaken in Tasmania has indicated that while there may be localised population impacts from a severe mange outbreak, there is limited evidence that mange poses a significant risk to the species.

In 2019 the Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research reviewed and collated available monitoring reports and data to determine wombat distribution and abundance in Victoria. They estimated the statewide population of common wombats was around 433,000 at that time. The highest populations were predicted for the ranges to the north, north-east, east and south-east of Melbourne. The common wombat is protected under the Wildlife Act 1975 in Victoria. Wombat populations are considered to be secure in Victoria and, as a result, are not listed under the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988 or the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. As I noted at the start, the government is supporting this motion, and I will conclude my comments and remarks there.

Sheena WATT (Northern Metropolitan) (11:46:456:): Thank you very much for the opportunity to make a contribution on the motion. Can I just begin by saying that I do want to lend my full support to this motion, and I want to thank Ms Purcell for bringing this to our attention.

I would also say that we do desperately need to recognise the iconic wombat, particularly those in Victoria, and protect them from various threats that jeopardise their very survival. The motion calls upon the government to review the appropriateness of lethal control measures, assess the private keeping of wombats, consider conducting a total population count and allocate additional funding to combat wombat mange. Each of these actions is crucial to ensuring the welfare and sustainability of wombat populations here.

What was interesting to me was to find out that Victoria is home to only one species, the bare-nosed wombat, or Vombatus ursinus. I think I said that right. Apologies – my Latin is not great – to the Hansard team. Despite being an iconic native species, wombats face numerous threats, including habitat destruction, road strikes, illegal and legal shooting and the devastating effects of sarcoptic mange. Unfortunately, I have got to tell you, the full impacts of these threats remain uncertain as there has been no comprehensive population count.

Sarcoptic mange in particular poses a threat to wombats and their lives. It causes severe suffering and hurt and leads to high mortality rates in affected populations. I did have the opportunity at a wildlife centre – not here but a little further north of here – to see the effects of this on some species. Can I just thank the wildlife rescuers operating in and around the Glass House Mountains for the work that they do there. Can I also say that without adequate treatment and funding for community-led management programs, this disease will continue to cause widespread harm to Victoria’s wombats. Maybe it says something that I have not had the chance to see its impact here in Victoria. That is not to say I will not have a more active look at it in the future.

One of the key points in this motion is the call for a review of the appropriateness of lethal control measures for wombats under the authority-to-control-wildlife permits. While farmers and landholders must be able to manage wildlife on their properties, it is essential that lethal control is only used as a last resort and that nonlethal alternatives are prioritised. There have been trials to this effect, including wombat gates, that have demonstrated that humane alternatives can effectively mitigate wombat-related damage to property without resorting to culling.

These gates allow wombats to move freely without damaging fences, providing a practical solution that benefits both landowners and the wildlife. There is success that has been reported in such alternatives, and they do highlight the need for a formal review of lethal control permits, ensuring that nonlethal permits are prioritised wherever possible in the state.

The motion also calls for a review of the appropriateness of wombats being kept on the list of species available for the private keeping of wildlife. This private keeping of wildlife raises some really significant ethical and welfare concerns. I too join Mrs McArthur by being quite bewildered in understanding why anyone would want to privately have a wombat. This is a species that is best left to enjoy their lives, not in the private backyards of strange folks, can I just say. It is of course worth recognising that wild animals have really complex needs, and it is really difficult to meet those in a captive setting, particularly a private captivity setting. These animals are burrowing animals, and they require large home ranges. They require some really specific environmental conditions that are incredibly challenging to replicate in captivity. I do acknowledge absolutely that some individuals may seek to keep wombats for rehabilitation or for educational purposes, but there must be clear regulations in place to ensure that their welfare is not compromised. A comprehensive review of private keeping regulations will ensure that safeguards for the best interests of wombats are around and ensure that their conservation remains a priority.

I know that the Arthur Rylah Institute in 2020 did do some estimates on the populations of wombats here. Can I just take a moment to acknowledge the incredible work of the Arthur Rylah Institute. I had the good fortune of meeting them and understanding and reading a bunch of their research and also working with some of their professionals in a time long ago. I just want to acknowledge and thank them for all they do here in Victoria. We are really uniquely placed with the Arthur Rylah Institute, and it is a special institute indeed, and so I just want to lend my support to the ARI for all that they do. Their work in fact suggested that the population was around 433,000, but this figure does not take into account recent environmental challenges experienced across the state, including habitat destruction. But also as I said earlier, there are disease outbreaks that do affect species and any research into populations at that time needed to also think about that, and that is why in this motion there is a call for a thorough population survey. That would provide the government with accurate data on the distribution and the numbers and allow for better informed conservation and management strategies. Without such data I think it is fair to say that it would not be possible to gauge the full extent of the threats facing wombats and whether current policies are effective in maintaining really stable populations.

As I said earlier, sarcoptic mange is a particularly insidious disease that causes some really severe skin infections. It leads to emaciation, blindness and ultimately death, and it is really troubling to see. Can I just let members of the chamber know that it is really tough to see when a species is impacted by this. There is pain; it is visible, and I can only imagine it. It is worth noting that this disease spreads through burrows and it has had really devastating impacts on populations across the state. There have been some community-led initiatives such as mange management supported by the Victorian government, which provides treatment kits and educational resources to help control numbers in local populations. While this support has been incredibly invaluable, further funding is necessary to expand treatment efforts and increase public awareness of the disease.

There have been some calls for investment in wombat mange treatment. It is not the only matter for the welfare of wombats, but it really is an essential step in ensuring the long-term survival of this keystone species. Of course there has been, as I recall speaking about not too long ago, quite an incredible investment in biodiversity initiatives across the state. But it is clear that protecting our native wildlife is a priority.

Recent measures such as the revocation of outdated unprotection orders that previously allowed unrestricted culling of wombats in eastern Victoria highlight the government’s dedication to aligning wildlife management policies with modern conservation principles, and this motion before us moved by Ms Purcell certainly aligns with those efforts, ensuring that wombats receive the attention and the protection that they deserve.

Wombats are not just an iconic Australian species, they are ecological engineers. Their burrowing behaviour plays a vital role in improving soil health. It facilitates water infiltration, and it also creates habitats for other species. In some bushfire-affected areas wombat burrows have provided refuge for smaller animals and contributed to ecosystem resilience. Protecting wombats, therefore, is not just about conserving a single species, it is about maintaining the balance and health of Victoria’s natural landscapes. By implementing the measures that are outlined in this motion we can ensure that wombats continue to play their essential role in the environment.

I will finish off by saying: if you do know of any bad behaviours, report them to Crime Stoppers Victoria.

Georgie PURCELL (Northern Victoria) (11:56): I thank all members for their contributions today and particularly the government, the Legalise Cannabis Party and the Greens for supporting this motion.

I think what is really clear from this debate is that there has been, as expected, a lot of condemnation of the US tourist incident over the last weekend. Whether or not it is confected outrage, as I described it, or genuine care, something that is abundantly clear from the contributions today is that there is very minimal understanding about the threats that wombats are facing, even from the government, who have the task of protecting them. I would encourage all members to actually go online and look at the authority-to-control-wildlife (ATCW) permit system application form after this debate to see just how easy it is to fill out that form and potentially kill wombats on private land across the state.

I just really want to reiterate: we spoke about rigorous checks and apparently the fact that it is ‘heavily regulated’, but this is just simply repeating what the department has been saying, which we have proven is untrue. We do have the evidence to show that, from a number of people have come to us and spoken to us about just how easy it has been for them or their neighbours to get these permits. I spoke about this in my contribution, but not all members were here for that. It is not a requirement to prove you have a gun licence. It is not a requirement to prove or provide evidence of damage and have it verified. There are rarely property inspections. In fact there are barely ever property inspections. There is no confirmation that nonlethal methods have been explored. It is simply a box you have to tick on the form. They do not come out and talk to you about potential nonlethal methods or even make a phone call about it, in the experiences we have heard about. In fact you do not even have to prove evidence that wombats or any native animal actually exist there, that they are even actually there.

Recently a report was released that I should have spoken about in my main contribution, called Licence to Kill, which examines this permit system across the entire country, and it shows that Victoria is the least regulated system in Australia. 1902 wombats were permitted to be killed under ATCW permits in the last year alone, and again we do not know how many of them were actually killed, which leads to the need for a thorough individual population count. We have heard about the Arthur Rylah Institute’s counts, and of course sometimes we can gather information from this, but just like the many other native animal counts conducted in this state, this is an extrapolated count. It means that wombats are counted in one area and that is extrapolated across the state. We know that they do not live in certain areas; we know that they do not live in bodies of water; we know that they do not live in metropolitan areas for the most part. That is why we need to know just how many there are – to know the threats they are facing and how serious they are.

It was great to hear the support from members across the chamber about the need to treat mange and combat mange, and it seems we are united on that front. The government spoke about the funding that they have given to this initiative over the past four years, and we appreciate that. In fact it is an issue that I worked on in my previous role with Mr Meddick, the previous Animal Justice Party MP. But what we are saying is this funding is about to expire and this program may no longer exist. It is treating thousands of wombats every year across the state, and we want that work to continue.

I think, in closing, if members found the video last week distressing and are genuinely concerned about this, they would be even more distressed if they saw the things that are being approved under the government’s watch across the state every single night where wombats are being killed and, as I said, joeys are having their brains destroyed as per the advice from the department. We just want consideration of this species, which is so important, to be taken off the permit list. One member said they would let the wombats have the last word, and I would like to do that as well. I think that if the wombats could make a contribution today, they would say, ‘Please stop killing and harming us.’

Council divided on motion:

Ayes (22): Ryan Batchelor, John Berger, Lizzie Blandthorn, Katherine Copsey, Enver Erdogan, Jacinta Ermacora, David Ettershank, Michael Galea, Anasina Gray-Barberio, Shaun Leane, Sarah Mansfield, Tom McIntosh, Rachel Payne, Aiv Puglielli, Georgie Purcell, Harriet Shing, Ingrid Stitt, Jaclyn Symes, Lee Tarlamis, Sonja Terpstra, Gayle Tierney, Sheena Watt

Noes (17): Melina Bath, Jeff Bourman, Gaelle Broad, Georgie Crozier, David Davis, Moira Deeming, Renee Heath, Ann-Marie Hermans, Wendy Lovell, Trung Luu, Bev McArthur, Joe McCracken, Nick McGowan, Evan Mulholland, Adem Somyurek, Rikkie-Lee Tyrrell, Richard Welch

Motion agreed to.

Business interrupted pursuant to sessional orders.