Remember when the sight of burning koalas, during the “Black Summer” bushfires, inspired a wave of global sympathy for our national icon?
Over $200 million poured in from around the world to assist koalas when those sickening images hit the news in 2020. Wasn’t it our moral duty to subsequently care for the creatures that survived? In June 2022, I wrote about the ongoing decline in koala numbers. So how are they travelling now and what about the forests where they live?
The previous state Liberal government did little to offer lasting protection for koalas. But Labor’s pre-election promise to create a “Great Koala National Park” (inland from Coffs Harbour) now seems totally duplicitous. Since they came to power, logging in the proposed park’s boundaries has actually continued at four times the previous rate! Only 2% is off limits to timber “harvesting”. Meanwhile, on a national level, the government has delayed instigating stronger environmental laws and is even considering weakening proposed legislation.
The Australian Koala Foundation (AKF) has long pushed for a “Koala Protection Act” which would conserve all the places where koalas live.
On 1 September they organised a march in Canberra. It was to be a voice for koalas and the myriad of other wildlife impacted by Australia’s current obsession with habitat destruction. I boarded a McMaster’s coach at 6am from Warringah Mall, with 30 kindred spirits, bound for the nation’s capital. We stopped only briefly at Sutton Forest to fill our hungry faces with pie.
On arrival, we joined a seething melange of creative fervour. There was costume fitting, placard making and chant rehearsal aplenty. I was assigned a “rodent” outfit, which apparently represented the “dark side” of the bureaucracy.
The peaceful march from Kings Park to Parliament House, led by former Green’s leader, Bob Brown, was full of colour, passion and urgent messaging – yet the only elected representative there to greet the crowd was Independent Senator, David Pocock and media coverage was scant.
To her credit, our very own Dr Sophie Scamps (MP for Mackellar) is a strong advocate for environmental protection (with other local MP’s, Zali Steggall and Michael Regan also invested in this issue). Her petition to “Save the Aussie Bush” is designed to help stop the ongoing decimation.
She points out that the Albanese Government allows 500,000 hectares to be cleared or logged every single year, mostly for low-value products such as wood chips and tomato stakes. Please sign and share it.
Sign the petition here
In September, 20 more species were added to our national threatened species list meaning that 2,250 unique Australian plants, animals and ecosystems are now on a sad trajectory towards extinction (including koalas). Just 0.1% of government spending goes towards protecting Australia’s unique wildlife and landscapes.
Ending land clearing and logging of native forests would also achieve a reduction of over 14.5 million tonnes in carbon dioxide a year, much more than what’s needed to meet Australia’s 2030 emissions target.
Every member of the NSW parliament recently received a free copy of David Lindenmayers’s new book “The Forest Wars” which exposes the terrible toll of logging, whilst outlining a positive conservation vision. Unfortunately, Labor and the Coalition colluded last month to vote down a federal Greens Bill to end native forest logging – even though taxpayers heavily subsidise this loss-making industry .
Perhaps koalas are just not donating enough to party funds.
Enjoy that?
Of course you did! Be sure to catch up with all of Mal’s Wild Side and Environment focused articles here