Antwort von Brad Rowswell MP

Dear Supporters,

I’m writing to you in my capacity as Shadow Minister for Environment in Victoria, home to the Budj Bim National Park.

More than 1,000 koalas have now been shot from helicopters under the direction of the Victorian Labor Government. Simply put, they’ve got this terribly wrong.

While the Government claims this was a “humane” and “necessary” intervention, we’ve learned that nearly 90 per cent of the koalas were not examined on the ground before being killed. Instead, assessments were made from helicopters flying over 30 metres above the trees, which is an impossible distance from which to accurately judge an animal’s health. This is unacceptable.

Even more concerning is the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action’s refusal to release the so-called independent guidance and advice used to justify the cull.

This lack of transparency raises serious questions and gives the appearance of a cover-up rather than responsible environmental management.

To make matters worse, the Government has also delayed the release of the Great Victorian Koala Survey, a critical report intended to help guide decisions on koala conservation across the state.

I want to thank you all for standing up and adding your voice to this important issue. The aerial killing of koalas has attracted national and international outrage, and rightly so.

I continue to call for the Victorian Labor Government to release the guidance and advice used to justify the cull. The public deserves the truth, and our koalas deserve protection.

Kind Regards,
Brad Rowswell MP
Victorian Shadow Minister for Environment