Thursday, 26 May 2022

Adjournment

Ms SYMES (Northern Victoria—Leader of the Government, Attorney-General, Minister for Emergency Services) (18:43): I move:

That the house do now adjourn.

Wild horse control

Mrs McARTHUR (Western Victoria) (18:43): (1947) My adjournment debate is for the Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change and concerns the stated policy aims of Parks Victoria to trap and rehome brumbies in Victoria’s national parks. The first listed policy in the executive summary of the Alpine National Park feral horse action plan is to:

• continue to trap feral horses for rehoming to the extent that suitable rehoming applicants can be found.

It is the same story in the Barmah National Park. Point (i) of that joint management plan details:

… passive trapping and rehoming where appropriate recipients are secured …

Shooting is listed as the second option. This implies it is a last resort, and that sounds reasonable, yet those involved with rehoming brumbies in the Barmah and alpine regions have become extremely cynical about Parks Victoria’s commitment. I have previously asked for but not received cost estimates per horse for the removal by both rehoming and shooting. Indicative costs must exist as Parks have produced targets for removal for these programs and overall budgets. It would certainly contribute to public trust if the minister could dispel the idea that Parks are inclined to prefer shooting because it is cheaper and easier. The distrust has been added to by the low numbers rehomed and Parks’ apparent recent abandonment of the policy.

In a Public Accounts and Estimates Committee budget estimates hearing last week, Parks Victoria CEO Matt Jackson confirmed to me that:

… the commitment from both plans was to do rehoming.

But he also stated:

… we have gone through and rehomed 10 horses in the Barmah National Park, consistent with ethics, animal equine vets’ oversight and principles … We did rehome 10 horses, which was a great outcome …

I am sorry not to share his enthusiasm. Moments later, talking about the Barmah, I asked:

So you are going to shoot 400 horses?

And he stated:

If the numbers are there.

While I am delighted 10 horses have been saved, it is hardly an impressive result given the scale of the impending slaughter. I appreciate rehoming requires more than ticking boxes and matching sponsors with brumbies, but many individual rehomers and groups are trying to work with Parks in good faith. For example, the Barmah Brumby Preservation Group has fundraised nearly $100 000 for fencing and infrastructure and applied to rehome 100 horses. Now Parks have left them high and dry. Trapping has been completely suspended on the basis that activists interfered with certain traps. The action I seek from the minister is to require Parks to work with advocacy groups and to reinstate the safe trapping and rehoming of brumbies.