Protecting Australia’s Macropod Treasure

Saturday 26 June: On a rare and unfortunate moment, forced to depart the Northern Beaches, CBD-bound across the Draw Bridge, I was confronted by keeled over men and women in kangaroo outfits, sprawled across Parriwi’s grassy knoll, imploring drivers to “Protect our Kangaroos” who are being “Loved by Day and Shot by Night”. What on earth?

Everyone knows our treasured Skippy icon, boxing superstar, and national aircraft carrier’s tail model is proliferating the Land Down Under in plague proportions. They should be shot on sight. Pests the lot of ‘em. Someone told me that in a pub once and I place colossal value in that rigorous test environment. But ever since upstanding cardboard dinosaurs held aloft “Ban Fossils from Parliament” placards to oust Warringah’s most well-known firefighter from his Federal seat, Mosman’s sand-stoned Spit Road entrance has become the global pinnacle of protest locations. 

I know to pay close attention when the Peninsula’s southern border plays host to any form of enthralling rally. This is the groundbreaking coalface of sweeping changes in public consciousness. So, what indeed was going on here? Why were people dedicating a fine, sunny Saturday morning to drawing everyone’s attention to the issue of how Australia treats its kangaroos? Let’s unpack this.

Firstly, the Animal Justice Party was established in 2009 in response to growing public concern over the abuse, harm and mistreatment of animals across Australia, giving our precious fauna a voice, and encouraging political parties to adopt animal-friendly policies. Secondly, on March 15, The Hon. Mark Pearson was successful in setting up a NSW Parliamentary inquiry into the Wellbeing of Kangaroos. A historic feat, as for 25 years there has been no public review of how we treat kangaroos in NSW. The recommendations from this inquiry will be released in October. Thirdly, in 2017, Mick and Kate McIntyre, exceptional documentary filmmakers, released “Kangaroo: A Love-Hate Story”, with Variety magazine comparing it to “The Cove” and “Blackfish”, exposing the largest land based wildlife slaughter in the world – Australia’s mass destruction of kangaroos. 

Thanks to the tireless efforts of those mentioned above and so many others, more and more Australians are waking up to the horrifying reality at the heart of how we treat kangaroos, myself included. I watched Mick and Kate’s film the first chance I got after seeing the June protest. I was blown away at the huge array of farmers, scientists, indigenous people, wildlife carers, roo-shooters, meat-exporters, politicians and whistle-blowers interviewed for their unique perspectives, in awe of the cinematic beauty of Red Kangaroos in full flight, springing across the rich, sparkling ochre of Sturt National Park, horrified to see young children tagging along on night missions with their parents, clubbing baby joeys to death against the blood-drenched back trays of their utes, and heartbroken by the paddocks full of abandoned kangaroo heads, arms, legs and tails, left to pasture after being trapped in the wrong place at the right time in the dead of night, only to meet a senseless, barbaric end.