Government Fails to Adopt Consensus Recommendations of NSW Koala Inquiry: Has No Plan to Save Koalas from Extinction
The Government’s response to the NSW Upper House Inquiry into Koala Populations and their Habitat, released today, indicates it has no intention of acting upon many key recommendations made by the Committee in order to stop koalas becoming extinct in NSW before 2050, Greens MP and Committee Chair Cate Faehrmann said.
“This is an extremely disappointing response from the NSW Government and shows they have no commitment to save koalas from extinction let alone doubling their numbers by 2050,” said Ms Faehrmann.
“Many of the key recommendations, the vast majority of which were supported by all Committee members because they are what needs to be done to save koalas from extinction, seem to have been rejected outright. This is especially disappointing because they are all achievable if the Government had the will.
“Of the 42 recommendations in the report, 14 were ‘Noted’ which from where I’m sitting is another way of saying ‘Rejected’. This is incredibly disappointing given how critical these recommendations are for the koala’s survival in NSW.
“Recommendations such as the Government urgently investigating the ‘utilisation of core koala habitat on private land and in state forests to replenish koala habitat lost in the bushfires’ appear to be rejected out of hand.
“Instead of acting upon many of the recommendations that address the key threats facing koalas, the Environment Minister is relying heavily on the release of the new Koala Strategy early this year. Like the old Koala Strategy, it won’t be worth the paper it’s written on if it doesn’t address the key threat to the ongoing survival of koalas in NSW which is the ongoing destruction of their habitat,” said Ms Faehrmann.
Summary of Government’s Response to Reports Recommendations:
- Noted: 14
- Supported in Principle: 17
- Supported: 11