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Native Birds, Wildlife Rescue and Animal Welfare

Answer

The people of Casey have shared with me their commitment to conserving and protecting our native birds, with more support needed for wildlife rescue and animal welfare.

I have received over 250 emails from people in Casey passionate about native birds, wildlife rescue, animal welfare and nature positive policy. The scale and speed of destruction of our natural environments is shameful with unchecked habitat destruction. It is clear our environment laws and regulations don't meet community expectations.

Native birds

I care deeply about our local native birdlife. I’m a bird watcher and for many years in October I’ve taken part in Australia’s largest citizen science event - BirdLife Australia’s annual bird count. in October 2024, 57,000 Australians counted 4.1 million birds in a week - click here to read the 2024 BirdCount results.

My favourite bird is the Eastern Spinebill which frequently visits and sings in my garden in Upwey. (Photo credit: John Weeks). Seeing the ancestral wedge-tailed eagle fly overhead in Casey is always a breathtaking sight, a reminder of the Wurundjeri peoples story of Bunjil ‘who originated from a falling star. As Bunjil fell from the sky, he blew air from his beak to create the earth we live on today. He scratched in the soil with his talons, and the first trees and plants started to grow.’

Over 160 bird species are threatened Australia-wide with 9 found in Casey including the Gang-gang Cockatoo - 45% of our native birds are unique to Australia.

Aligned with BirdLife Australia’s 2025 election priorities if elected as the Independent MP for Casey I pledge to take these policies to Parliament:

  • I will be a community leader and organiser to activate our Casey community to promote community science, conservation and bird tourism.
  • I support a meaningful increase in funding to reverse the current decline of Australia's endangered and threatened birds.
  • I support a strengthening (not weakening) of national environment protection laws.
  • I support the Nature Positive (Environment Protection Australia) Bill 2024 to establish a new National Environment Protection Australia statutory agency. 
  • I will be a champion of nature-positive legislation and programs, supporting a meaningful increase in funding into nature.
  • We need to be prepared to respond to the significant threat of the H5 bird flu.

Wildlife Rescue

Casey residents are committed to conserving and rehabilitating native species but they need more support and public awareness.

In Casey we have a number of amazing volunteer wildlife rescue community organisations including Kinglake Friends of the Forest, St Andrews Wildlife Shelter and the Dandenong Ranges Veterinary Centre who give emergency first aid assistance to wildlife free of charge.

I have also been contacted by a local Wildlife Rescuer who has been tracking and recording data since October of 2023 using the iNaturalist app. Over a period of 12-14 months she has recorded 403 animals killed by road strikes, with 97% on Wellington Road - 98 Eastern Kangaroos, 67 Swamp Wallabies, 63 Ringtail Possums, 44 Wombats, 35 Brushtail Possums and 12 Echidnas.

If elected as the Independent MP for Casey I pledge to take these politics to Parliament:

  • I will be an advocate for wildlife rescue community organisations.
  • I support research to identify and deliver the best-value highest-impact initiatives that will reduce wildlife injuries and deaths on our roads, which may include:
    • Reduced speed limits before dusk and dawn
    • Physical and virtual fencing
    • Wildlife crossing corridors

Animal Welfare

The people of Casey have shared with me their commitment to native birds, wildlife rescue and animal welfare.

  • I support the current legislative phase out of live sheep exports by 1 May 2028.
  • I support establishing a national Animal Welfare Commission/Office as recommended by the Productivity Commission to coordinate the states and territories in developing and implementing national animal welfare standards and to provide independent science-based advice to Government on animal welfare.
  • I support the ongoing development and implementation of the Australian Animal Welfare Strategy.
  • I support extending eligibility for deductible gift recipient (DGR) status to all animal welfare charities and support charity advocacy, as recommended in the Productivity Commission’s Future Foundations for Giving report and the Not-for-profit Sector Development Blueprint.
  • I support establishing a formal animal welfare trade policy to inform the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s approach to negotiating trade agreements.
  • I support extending the existing ban on hunting trophies under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, which currently includes African lions, elephants and the southern white rhino, to all species protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).

I have signed the Australian Alliance for Animals pledge. Australian Alliance for Animals is a national animal welfare charity leading an alliance of Australia’s key animal protection groups with a combined supporter base of over 2 million people.