Page 3805 - Week 10 - Wednesday, 19 September 2018

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(a) was driven by the Deputy Premier of New South Wales and supported by the now Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party of Australia;

(b) prioritises historical and nostalgic value of a feral animal over biodiversity and the need to protect native wildlife;

(d) was drafted, and passed, despite expert advice and evidence recommending otherwise;

(e) resulted in a scientific adviser to the NSW Government resigning;

(f) was condemned by a significant number of eminent organisations, including the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the Nature Conservation Council (NSW), the Australian Academy of Science, and the National Parks Association of NSW; and

(g) increases the risk of feral horses entering neighbouring jurisdictions, including the ACT, thereby:

(i) impacting on a significant amount of the Territory’s water supply;

(ii) threatening sensitive ecosystems;

(iii) impacting on biodiversity, including in the Cotter Catchment;

(iv) undermining these jurisdictions’ efforts to control numbers and effects of feral horses; and

(v) distracting from efforts to manage other pests; and

(4) calls on all Members of the ACT Legislative Assembly to:

(a) condemn the NSW Government’s reckless legislation; and

(b) make clear, at every available opportunity, that the NSW Government should reverse its decision, and, failing that, the Commonwealth should intervene.

Canberra truly is the bush capital, and to the city’s west and south, Namadgi National Park complements our capital, offering an abundance of diverse flora and fauna, as well as important cultural heritage sites. But our pristine national park is under threat.

Madam Assistant Speaker, you will be aware that the ACT has a long, proud history of protecting Namadgi, together with New South Wales and Victoria, from a range of threats, including introduced species. But these significant efforts are now undermined, with the very real risk of feral horses causing significant environmental damage within our borders. And it is all thanks to the reckless actions of the New South Wales government, which has legislated to protect feral horses in Kosciuszko National Park in New South Wales.

It is a decision that has been made in direct opposition to expert advice. It is a decision that has been condemned by numerous organisations. And it is a decision that drastically increases the risk of feral horses galloping across the ACT border, threatening our territory’s ecosystems and biodiversity, impacting on the vast majority of our drinking water supply; and undermining our own efforts to control feral horse numbers.

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