In New South Wales, four species of Kangaroo are exploited for commercial gain, these are the Red Kangaroo, the Eastern Grey Kangaroo, the Western Grey Kangaroo and the Wallaroo.

As catastrophic climate events impact Australian wildlife, Kangaroo population across the continent are ‘booming’. Well as they say, if you believe that, then you believe anything.

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2025 commercial quota for Kangaroos in New South Wales

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Given the international criticism regarding this wildlife trade and particularly the high populations estimates and quotas and resulting extreme cruelty, quotas are never met, it has become increasingly evident that state governments in Australia are now working together to manage the fallout from claims of growing populations (which are unlikely to be true, particularly because some at least are a biological impossibility).

One sign of this is the discussion surrounding the development of an MOU between states to agree on common action in relation to these matters. We also note that ‘independent reviews’ supporting the status quo when it comes to the ‘management’ of Kangaroos, further strengthen the status quo and contributing to lack of change in relation to these matters.

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The latest claims regarding population numbers in New South Wales are a classic example of  what occurs.

• For 2024, the population estimate for Kangaroos in New South Wales has risen to 13,910,688 (in 2023 was 9,634,900), an increase in the population of Kangaroos in New South Wales over a 12 month period of 4,275,788.
• This increase leading in 2025 to a commercial quota for Kangaroos in New South Wales of 2,186,952 (in 2024 it was1,484,072), an increase of 702,880. For 2025 there is also a special quota of 208,659, up from 144,523 in 2024.

For each species the commercial quota for 2025 is:

• Red Kangaroo – 852,938;
• Western Grey Kangaroo – 153,264;
• Eastern Grey Kangaroo – 1,125,908; and
• Wallaroo – 54,842

Giving this a reality check, a rough estimate of the maximum biologically possible population increase off the base of 9,634,900 would be 10 per cent. We will ignore the high probability that the 2023 population estimate was already too high and the number of Kangaroos killed in 2024 (including a large number of joeys not accounted for) further diminish the likely increase in population. We should note that the calculation here is derived from testimony and parliamentary documents from the New South Wales Government’s inquiry Health and wellbeing of Kangaroos and other Macropods in New South Wales (referred March 2021).

After this session in the Inquiry, Penny Sharpe, New South Wales Environment Minister and committee member, made the following comment:

“That is great. That all makes sense, I think, to the Committee. I think we are now across that”.

So at the maximum possible increase (as we appear to agree), that gives an additional 960,000 (my view is that this number is still far too high). So let’s take 960,000 for the example here, so that would mean that the latest New South Wales Government estimate of the increase in population is too high by 3,315,788 Kangaroos.

So the question to the New South Wales Government is where did the additional Kangaroos come from?

My comment to Penny Sharpe, New South Wales Environment Minister, prior to the publication of the government’s quota report for 2025, was as follows:

“Surely, particularly given the Inquiry led by Cate (Faehrmann), and given what you know, you are not going to allow these numbers to be published in the final quota report next week? They need to be checked as they do NOT look possible”.

Of course they take no notice because each and every year is the same – they get away with anything they choose to do or say.

As commercial shooting zones in New South Wales expand, shooting now occurs across 15 shooting zones covering the entire state with the exception of the coastal strip. The cost of the population surveys annually is approximately in the range of $400,000 to $500,000.  This does not include other ‘management’ and ‘marketing’ costs which are far more significant.

The gross value of the commercial exploitation of Kangaroos in New South Wales at current prices is approximately $12.25 million (2024 estimate). Costs imposed on other sectors, including tourism, costs of human harms and consequential loss are significant and not accounted for.

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What they think of the modelling and output

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The Centre of Ecology and Environmental Modelling (CREEM), University of St Andrews, was approached to conduct a review of the survey design, protocols and analysis methods used by the KMP.

To quote from the CREEM report summary:

“The New South Wales (NSW) Department of Planning, and Environment has researched, monitored, and managed the large Kangaroo population under a Kangaroo Management Programme (KMP) since 1974 (NSW KMP, 2021). Surveying any species of wild animal to obtain reliable abundance estimates is a challenging and costly task, especially over large areas….”

“Overall, we found the KMP to be very thorough in its approach, to have considered all relevant aspects of the surveys and to be willing to make improvements and consider new technologies to ensure that the abundance estimates are as reliable as possible”.

What follows are comments and statements from committee chair, Cate Faehrmann MLC, New South Wales Government Inquiry into the Health and Wellbeing of Kangaroos and other Macropods in New South Wales.

“The robustness of the science and population estimates behind setting quotas for how many Kangaroos may be harvested has been called into question through this inquiry. Without independent oversight and greater transparency, we cannot have confidence that the government's Kangaroo management program is not contributing to potentially devastating declines in some Kangaroo populations”.

“This inquiry has also heard troubling evidence of inhumane, disrespectful practices that are not acceptable to many in the community, including the treatment of joeys. There are several recommendations that, if acted upon, will increase the transparency around the deaths of joeys that are occurring in both the commercial and non-commercial industries”.

In my selection of dissenting statements (removed from final report’s findings and recommendations) the chair says:

“Overall, the committee is concerned that Kangaroo numbers are in serious decline in New South Wales, with mobs becoming marginalised and fragmented across the state's landscape. The committee believes that, notwithstanding the impact of drought on Kangaroo populations, land clearing and licensed killing for agricultural interests and the commercial harvesting industry are major factors in this decline”.

“That there is currently no humane method of killing macropods and their joeys for either commercial or non-commercial purposes”.

“That, as a matter of urgency, the Department of Planning, Industry and Environment introduce a moratorium on harvesting Wallaroos in the Northern Tablelands and Red Kangaroos in the Western Plains, until new population surveys are conducted. The survey methodology must be independently peer reviewed, and primary data (including photographic evidence) must be made available for public, independent scrutiny”.

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Australia wide, despite significant commercial shooting zone extensions in New South Wales and South Australia and the addition of the whole of Victoria as seven new shooting zones, the addition of new species to the commercial list, the killing of more female Kangaroos for commercial gain, the move into public lands including state and national parks and the simplification of and use of digital systems to streamline reporting requirements, the actual take and the actual take against quota continues to diminish. Take out all the recent ‘enhancements’ and the take Australia wide would be less than one million, 20 years ago it was more than three million.

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The shooting zone map in New South Wales to 2011

The shooting zone map today, only the coastal strip is excluded

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Maps courtesy of the New South Wales Government

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2024 commercial quota for Kangaroos in New South Wales

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The total quota for the commercial exploitation in New South Wales in 2024 is 1,484,072 Kangaroos (down from 1,850,228 in 2023). There is also a maximum special quota of 144,523 (down from 178,233 in 2023) that may be made available in specific circumstances.

The population estimate of the four commercial species in 2023, from which the 2024 quota is derived, was 9,634,900 (down from 11,882,215 in the previous year).

For all species exploited commercially in New South Wales, that is, the Eastern Grey Kangaroo, Red Kangaroo, Western Grey Kangaroo and Wallaroo, the actual take in the first 9 months of 2024 was 396,666 against a full year quota of 1,484,072. That is 27 per cent of the full year quota. NOTE: By mid-November 2024 the actual, as reported, had risen to 450,418, from 565,229 allocated commercial tags.

Nature Knowledge Channel’s forecast for the actual commercial take for New South Wales in 2024 was 410,900. It is likely that our forecast for 2024 will be exceeded, and we are now expecting an actual number closer to 500,000, which is similar to 2023. This would bring the actual take in 2024 to 33 per cent of the year’s quota.

To end September 2024, the shooting zones with the highest actual commercial kill in the period were:

• Broken Hill – 77,036 (51 per cent of the zone’s full year quota);
• Griffith South – 56,636 (54 per cent of the zone’s full year quota); and
• Coonabarabran – 47,976 (33 per cent of the zone’s full year quota).

To end September 2024, the shooting zones with the lowest actual commercial kill in the period were:

• Tibooburra – 5,664 (6 per cent of the zone’s full year quota);
• Cobar – 8,617 (37 per cent of the zone’s full year quota); and
• Bourke – 11,722 (24 per cent of the zone’s full year quota).

In 2024 there were:

• 429 licensed harvesters, down from 536 in 2023;
• 25 animal dealers up from 24 in 2023;
• 97 licensed premises down from 107 in 2023; and
• 2,263 properties with landholder consents, down from 2,492 in 2023.

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I will write in more details once we have had the opportunity to analyse the 2025 quota report in more detail.

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