Tuesday, 17 October 2023

North-Eastern Metropolitan Region

Aiv PUGLIELLI (North-Eastern Metropolitan) (15:38): (459) My question today is to the new Minister for Agriculture. Minister, as I have raised previously in this place, I am frequently contacted by constituents from Nillumbik who are concerned about the safety of kangaroos in their beautiful green wedge shire, in which I grew up. They are horrified that it is permissible to shoot and kill these native creatures for commercial profit. Over 13,000 people have now called for Nillumbik to be removed from the kangaroo harvesting program. This cruel for-profit scheme incentivises the slaughter of kangaroos and has no place in Nillumbik. The community want their precious native wildlife protected, not killed. Minister, I raised this with your predecessor, and it is important that this issue does not fall off your desk in the handover of portfolios. Will you heed the calls of the community and remove Nillumbik from the kangaroo harvesting program?