At this time there is no National Legislation to protect Australian Brumbies. The Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (EPBC Act) Commonwealth Legislation gives some support to wildlife and threatened species. But, the Brumbies are not protected by that Legislation and have no protection. It is impossible at this time, to have an introduced species protected under that Legislation, regardless Brumbies have been acknowledged as holding Heritage value in New South Wales, and are protected to a degree in New South Wales by the Wild Horse Heritage Act.
People have asked why not protect Brumbies with International Treaties. We believe the best way to protect Brumbies within our Australian Jurisdiction is with Australian Legislation. Courts may not respect or acknowledge international treaties so we must forge on with Australian Legislation and ideally in each State of Australia. At this time there is Legislation in New South Wales, and we need to gain Legislation in each State of Australia.
We are seeking Legislation to protect Victorian Brumbies in the 3 key areas namely Barmah Forest and the Alpine National Park which includes the Bogong High Plains and Eastern Alps.
It is not feasible to keep pursuing expensive legal actions each time Parks Victoria want to shoot Brumbies, we must achieve something enduring, long term and permanent to protect our Brumbies.
We must have our Brumbies recognised for the significant contribution they made to our cultural and social history. We will learn from the Legislation in place in New South Wales and how to improve upon that. The three 3 key areas in Victoria have different Management Plans and Parks Victoria manage the three National Parks, but creating Legislation that provides for a Community Advisory Panel with representatives from each area is, we believe, the best way to go.
The ePetition was tabled by Wendy Lovell MP on 4 August 2020 and we believe Wendy may have an opportunity to further speak when Parliament resumes.
We are now finalising a Bill, The Victorian Heritage Brumby Act Bill (Vic) which we hope to have introduced into the Victorian Parliament. That will be the time for discussion and debate in the Victorian Parliament. There will be a call for a vote on the Bill and we are hoping this will lead to the enactment of Legislation to protect our Heritage Brumbies. For these reasons, we must forge on and focus on a permanent protection for all Victorian Brumbies.
It is imperative that each of you speak with your local MP and your Regional MP and ask them to support the Bill for Brumby Legislation.
All of these things take time and planning, but we feel it is the only way to achieve protection for our Brumbies. We need your ongoing support.
We must show to the Andrews Government that all Victorians value our Heritage Brumbies, we do not want them shot, we want them respected, protected and conserved for all generations to come, so we must gather as many signatures as is possible. Please support this Petition by signing and sharing.
This Petition is open to anybody to sign regardless of where they live. Please sign and SHARE widely. Thankyou!
Photo by Paul McIver with sincere thanks