We, the undersigned residents, landholders, community members, Australian supporters, and International supporters of East Gippsland wildlife, call upon East Gippsland Water, the Victorian Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA), and the Victorian Minister for the Environment, The Hon. Enver Erdogan, to immediately revoke the current Authority to Control Wildlife (ATCW) permit authorising the killing of kangaroos on East Gippsland Water-owned properties in Kalimna West, Paynesville, and Metung. The permit remains active until March 2027, meaning kangaroos may continue to be killed at any time unless it is cancelled. 

We further urge these authorities to protect the remaining kangaroo population and ensure that only humane, non-lethal wildlife management methods are implemented in the future.

The community has serious concerns regarding the justification for this permit. To date, East Gippsland Water has not publicly provided sufficient evidence to support the lethal control of kangaroos. There are also significant concerns about current land and farm management practices and whether all reasonable non-lethal management options have been properly considered and implemented.

Kangaroos continue to graze on East Gippsland Waters properties during the evenings and night potentially putting lives at risk.

We urge the responsible authorities to act now to prevent further killing of kangaroos. We seek urgent action to protect the remaining kangaroo population from further harm and to ensure that any future management of kangaroos is conducted in a manner that is ethical, accountable, and consistent with community expectations, based on transparent decision-making, scientific evidence, animal welfare considerations, and effective non-lethal alternatives. The public deserves confidence that decisions affecting native wildlife are based on sound evidence and humane outcomes, not on ineffective measures that result in the unnecessary destruction of Australia's iconic kangaroo.

Kangaroos are a protected native species and an important part of Australia’s environmental and cultural heritage. In several affected areas, local mobs have lived peacefully alongside residents and farming communities for generations. In the Lake Victoria Road area, community members report a long-established mob that has coexisted with locals for at least six generations, surviving events such as the 1978 fires and remaining a familiar part of the local landscape. 

This issue has also attracted concern from supporters Nationally and Internationally, who recognise kangaroos as an iconic globally valued Australian native species.

Visitors from around the World travel to Australia expecting to see our kangaroos living freely, in a natural environment. 

The widespread public opposition reflected in this petition, demonstrates that the treatment of our native wildlife, is not only a local concern, but an issue of broader National and International interest.

Many people believe kangaroos should be responsibly managed through humane, evidence-based and non-lethal methods that protect both wildlife and land values.

By signing this petition, we call for:

• The immediate revocation of the current ATCW permit pertaining to kangaroos.
• An immediate halt to any further killing of kangaroos on East Gippsland Water properties.
• Full public release of the ATCW permit
• Full public transparency regarding the evidence and decision-making processes used to justify kangaroo management actions.
• Clear evidence distinguishing kangaroo impact from deer, rabbits or other causes.
• Meaningful community consultation before any future action is taken
• The adoption and prioritisation of humane, non-lethal kangaroo management strategies for the future.
• Recognition of kangaroos as a valued part of East Gippsland’s natural environment and are a part of a broader community.
• Long-term protection of kangaroos and their habitat within East Gippsland Water-owned land.

East Gippsland Communities and the broader National and International supporters deserve transparent decision-making, grounded in science, compassion and responsible stewardship to ensure our kangaroos are humanely cared for.

Signed,

[Name]

[Suburb]

[Email optional]

[Signature if paper petition]