Barry O'Sullivan (Queensland, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate:

(a) acknowledges:

  (i) that, earlier this year, Australian Greens representatives travelled to Brussels to promote a documentary film, and repeat claims that kangaroo populations are at serious risk of extinction across Australia,

  (ii) a media statement made, on 5 March 2018, by former Senator Rhiannon stating "myths about kangaroos are uncritically repeated as facts in Australia and abroad",

  (iii) that despite the repeated claims by the Australian Greens to the contrary, it is widely and publically recorded that there have been no adverse long-term impacts on kangaroo populations after more than 30 years of harvesting under commercial management plans; in fact, there are an estimated 48 million kangaroos across Australia today, compared with only 27 million in 2010,

  (iv) that more than three decades of data proves the sustainable harvest quota for kangaroos is always well below actual population estimates, and the actual quota levels have almost never been met,

  (v) that there have been decades of sound, sustainable management of kangaroo harvesting that has been consistently confirmed by kangaroo management reviews, carried out by independent scientists,

  (vi) that, despite making this data publically available, the kangaroo meat and hide industry has long been forced to battle against the boisterous, yet unfounded, claims by the Greens, and the broader animal liberation movement, that kangaroos are somehow at risk of extinction, and

  (vii) that the National Code of Practice for the Humane shooting of kangaroos for commercial purposes, agreed to by all states in 2008, must be complied with under each state's management plans;

(b) recognises the thousands of families across rural Australia that derive some income from the kangaroo harvesting trade; and

(c) supports public policy that:

  (i) encourages the humane and sustainable harvesting of the kangaroo population, and

  (ii) encourages trade expansion of kangaroo products.

Question agreed to.