Tuesday, 8 March 2022

Grey-headed flying foxes

Mr MEDDICK (Western Victoria) (19:29): (1784) My adjournment matter for this evening is for the Treasurer, and the action I seek is for him to fund a sprinkler and monitoring system in this year’s state budget to protect Geelong’s grey-headed flying fox colony.

Flying foxes are a vital pollinating species, playing an important role in the health of our environment. There are many groups advocating for their protection and safety, one of those being Friends of Bats and Bushcare, Geelong. Based in Geelong and caring for the grey-headed flying fox camps in Geelong, Lara and Werribee, Friends of Bats and Bushcare is a small group of dedicated volunteers who work closely with the City of Greater Geelong staff during extreme heat stress events to provide life-saving support for the threatened colony, which currently resides in Geelong’s Eastern Park.

Grey-headed flying foxes are subject to heat stress mortality during high-temperature events. These are all the more frequent due to the current climate emergency, and Victorian flying fox colonies experience heat stress events most summers. The nationally accepted emergency response protocol throughout Australia consists of trained wildlife rescuers and carers mobilising to prevent flying fox deaths by spraying worst affected animals with water to cool their core temperatures and aid in rehydration. If they do not receive this care, flying foxes have been known to die in huge numbers during heat stress events, literally falling from the trees to perish.

Friends of Bats and Bushcare have worked with me to write a budget bid for the Treasurer to fund the installation of a permanent sprinkler system and monitoring system in Eastern Park to ensure this colony get the care and protection they need, and I hope the Treasurer can fund the request.