Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy) Share this | Hansard source

As I was saying, another $795,000 to implement the program was provided by the Australian, New South Wales and Queensland governments through various virus research programs. There are 76 species of bats and flying foxes in Australia, all principally regulated under state and territory law. The national environment law applies to 11 of these which are considered threatened at the national level. Two mainland flying fox species are listed as threatened under the EPBC Act—the grey-headed flying fox and the spectacled flying fox. Community concerns centre on flying fox camps in urban areas. Action to disperse flying fox camps has the lowest environmental impact in winter, outside the breeding season and when temperatures are lower. Between 1994 and 2009, seven people have contracted the hendra virus following contact with an infected horse and four people have died. (Time expired)