Wednesday, 19 November 2025

 Nicole WERNER (Warrandyte) (19:00): (1429) My matter is for the Minister for Environment, and the action I seek is the reinstatement of ongoing adequate funding for Mange Management Victoria. It is an adjournment matter that I have raised before, and again I am here to fight for our local wombats in Warrandyte and across the state. The plight of our local wombats was raised with me by a fierce local wildlife crusader Michelle Evans from the volunteer-run organisation Mange Management Victoria. I met Michelle months ago at a trivia night for Warrandyte High School with her husband Tim, who had forewarned me at the start of night that his wife was needing to speak with me about a political issue. Of course that can mean anything in the life of a politician and sometimes can be an ominous warning to receive, but in this instance I was very glad to meet Michelle and for her to raise the issue of mange management in wombats with me.

Since I last raised this issue I acknowledge that the government has indicated it will provide some funding to mange management, and I was so glad to receive that happy news from Michelle, who wrote to tell me so on World Wombat Day, which was very special. That is a positive step, and as always the volunteers are ever grateful. However, the amount that they have been given is not enough to meet the reality of what they are dealing with on the ground. The team at Mange Management Victoria have written to me to say:

The government has pledged $50K per year for two years to support wombat treatment … we’re still waiting on the formal funding agreement. We will use the funds equally to cover our part-time admin person and the other half for medicines and treatment kits. We haven’t been given a reason for the $50K limit.

While we’re of course so very grateful for their support, there will still be a shortfall of around $100,000 just to maintain our current work. As you know, medicines are expensive – around $100 per treatment – and with 1,600 cases reported last year, the costs add up quickly.

They then go on to say:

The NSW Government has recognised the seriousness of this crisis and committed $2.8 million to its Curb Wombat Mange program, funding research, training, and treatment across the state. Here in Victoria, the problem is just as widespread, and the need is real.

Unfortunately a token contribution cannot sustain a statewide response to a disease that is spreading, accelerating and entirely fatal to wombats without treatment. Again, I thank Mange Management Victoria for their work. They have built a practical community-based response that empowers landholders, wildlife carers, farmers and volunteers to treat affected wombats and save their lives. It was wonderful to see their work honoured at the Community Bank Warrandyte’s annual awards night, where just this week secretary Katja Gutwein spoke about the incredible work they do. So the action I seek is clear: that the minister not only reinstates the funding but ensures that it is adequate, ongoing and reflective of the true cost of managing sarcoptic mange.