'The koala policy is based on science, reason and democracy. The political debate about the koala policy should be based on the same ideals.'
John Barilaro said a lot of things about the koala policy on Thursday, and most of them are untrue. My colleague in the NSW government said farmers can’t build a feed shed or a driveway on their property without a koala study. This is not the case. You can erect farm sheds, pour driveways, clear fence lines and engage in any routine agricultural practice that has occurred for generations without the need for development consent or a koala study.
A koala is released back into bushland at the Two Thumbs Wildlife Trust's koala sanctuary near Cooma, NSW.Barilaro also said noxious weeds are listed as core koala habitat. Again, this is incorrect. There are no noxious weeds on the tree species list.These are just two examples of some of the mistruths being pushed out there by opponents to koala protection.
This policy to protect koalas and their habitat was developed over several years on the basis of exhaustive scientific research and advice and through a process of thorough community and parliamentary consultation. It encourages councils to engage with landholders and farmers to prepare a plan to identify and manage koala habitat at a local level, with the full knowledge and involvement of local landowners. How can Barilaro argue the policy is against the interests of regional people when it empowers regional councils to make local decisions for regional communities?
Equipped with a better information base, local koala plans will enable better informed decision-making about land use change that could impact upon koala habitat, the most obvious of which would be clearing that is associated with urban expansion in places such as south-western Sydney or the north coast of NSW.Better, clearer, and more granular identification of the tree species that make up koala habitat in different parts of the state is not politics, it’s science.
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