Michelle Landry (Capricornia, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

I would like to respond to the recommendations proposed following the inquiry into flying fox management in the eastern states and, in particular, how this affects residents in my electorate of Capricornia.

We are all aware of the challenge of balancing environmental protections of native species with community safety; however, it seems that, once again, we are putting bats before people and not addressing the concerns of regional communities. The recommendations need to consider the costs laid onto regional communities and the burden the protections place on those living amongst large colonies of flying foxes. I support ongoing funding, but this needs to be balanced with research into improved dispersal methods while ensuring the state governments take action. Most importantly, the state government needs to work more collaboratively with local councils with a clearer pathway for flying fox relocation.

To date, the cost of dispersal is being borne by local governments in Queensland and, in some cases, community members have to fork out for testing costs themselves. This is not acceptable and may also lead to communities taking matters into their own hands to the detriment of flying fox communities. This is not a good outcome for anyone.

In Queensland, council has as-of-right permission from the state government to take certain non-lethal action to manage and potentially disperse flying fox roosts in urban settings within Queensland. While these as-of-right permissions exist, it is not simple or cost-effective for councils to use these powers. The powers give councils the ability to remove trees and undertake habitat modification.

But, as in Eungella and Walkerston, this does not have long-term results. Detailed and prolonged campaigns of dispersal activities are expensive. Councils need support to assess the best way forward, as outlined in recommendation 3, but also need financial assistance to implement management plans. A collaborative and collective approach is the best way to achieve this, but the state government buck-passing must stop.

I wish to raise this specific issue troubling the residents of Eungella in the north of my electorate of Capricornia. This is a perfect example of the real-life challenges facing regional communities with flying fox problems. Last week I witnessed firsthand a large colony of flying foxes roosting in the national park directly adjacent to the school, and when I say 'adjacent', I mean directly along the fence line with overgrown trees in the schoolyard. The bats are stripping trees in the national park. They are destroying local fruit trees and vegetation. I have never seen anything like it. They are crawling over each other in droves. The council understands the residents' concerns and is working towards trying to develop appropriate actions to assist. Why should the financial and resource burden be passed to local communities and councils?

As the committee report highlights, the nesting sites of flying foxes are a wider issue. Dispersal from higher density areas usually means relocation to less populated areas—that is, those in rural areas. Yet the costs are borne completely by the receiving council, and there are too many limitations on making the best decisions based on the needs of local residents.

But let's return to Eungella for a moment to highlight their inefficiency of dealing with this problem. Parents have raised concerns and the school as attempting to work with the Department of Education and the Department of National Parks. For months the education department said it was a national parks issue, and national parks were only concerned with their side of the fence. After a lot of buck-passing, national parks have agreed to cut back the trees to the park side of the fence.

I should not have to remind anyone that bats fly. They are flying over the school and they are defecating on the school roof. The remote school relies on tank water, and that water comes from the roof. The taste permeates through the water. Parents are now refusing to let their kids drink the water and will have to pay from their own pockets to get the water tested.

Then there is Walkerston. A very narrow bridge and pedestrian walkway connects the western side of town with the school. In regional areas kids actually still walk to school but, to get to school, they have to walk directly underneath a massive colony of flying foxes dropping faeces and urine directly onto students. Parents, businesses and concerned residents have written to the council and raised the issue time and time again, but no action is taken because the bats are more protected than the kids. We need to make the solution practical and ensure that the state government stops passing the buck on this issue. It is not just the kids; B-Double trucks loaded with fuel cross the same bridge. It is only a matter of time before a severe incident occurs when the bats take flight. The stench is disgusting, and people have stopped coming into town to shop because of it.

Another safety issue created a hazard zone on the Bruce Highway near Marlborough. Here the flying fox colony would drop out of the trees to begin flight, directly into the path of heavy vehicles using the road. They would hit windscreens, causing crashes and near crashes. In this case the bats were relocated, but not after significant impacts and lobbying from local residents.

But let's go back to Eungella for a moment. The issue at the Eungella State School is recurring and ongoing. Yes, the flying fox numbers change and, yes, the colony numbers fluctuate but they continue to return to the same spot at the fence line of the school, which happens to border a national park. In this instance, the region is not impeded by urban sprawl. While the residents of Eungella would love to see new development in their town, the population is actually declining. Also in this instance there is an abundance of national park space with similar habitation that could be used for dispersal.

Correspondence early last year to the Minister for Environment and Heritage Protection highlights the state government evading responsibility. The state minister admitted to being aware that the colony has existed in this location for 10 years. He also acknowledged that, throughout this time, the flying foxes have continued to spread into the Eungella school, but the poor parents trying to ensure the children have safe drinking water are passed from one department to the other and between local and state government. Nobody wants to take ownership and no-one wants to help. It is not their problem, not their land or not a cost they can wear. Again, it is the people of remote and regional areas who seem to be wearing the actual and intangible costs of urban sprawl from major cities. Regional councils and residents cannot and should not be expected to foot the hefty bill for the development of dispersible management plans. So it appears that bats have more protection rights for their offspring than parents do. I am extremely worried that we will not learn our lesson on this until a child gets sick from an infection or a bite.

I support the recommendation that the Department of the Environment and Energy develop, in consultation with relevant state and local governments, a tool that assists councils to make decisions on action, referral and education in the most appropriate way relevant to the flying fox impacts and their jurisdiction. However, it is imperative that we also provide councils with the final tools and support to manage flying fox colonies and common sense action for communities.

I also want to mention a vet who passed away in 2016 around the Yeppoon-Rockhampton area, Alister Rodgers. He died of the Hendra virus. He was a vet who was tending to horses where the water had been infected. It was a tragedy for the community. He was a vet out there doing his job and he was killed by these dirty bats. I realise they have a place in the whole ecology of nature, but something has to be done about it before more people suffer illness or die.

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