• The killing in the Mallee Parks looks as if it began in 1984 when 787 Western Grey Kangaroos were killed in the National Parks. This mass killing was met with a significant public outcry at that time, which we remember well, and we were shocked by the killing. The strength of the opposition to the ‘cull’ was so strong that no further killing took place until 1990.
• During the period 1990 to 1994, 15,000 Kangaroos were killed in these three parks, relatively modest in terms of what was yet to come under Victoria’s Labor Government.
• Terrible drought conditions in Victoria in the period 1994 to 1998 appear to have stopped the killing in that period. Then to 2003 we have not been able to find the data.
• In 2004, 2,445 Kangaroos were targeted in the parks, 1,345 of these were Red Kangaroos.
• In 2005, 7,850 Kangaroos were targeted in the parks, 1,750 of these were Red Kangaroos. 2006 was a drought year so we assume no killing took place.
• In 2007, 4,550 Kangaroos were targeted in the parks, 450 of these were Red Kangaroos.
• In 2008, 5,050 Kangaroos were targeted in the parks, 1,150 of these were Red Kangaroos.
• In 2009, 450 Kangaroos were targeted in the parks, none of these were Red Kangaroos. 2010 to 2012 were drought years and it appears no killing took place.
• In 2013, 9,900 Kangaroos were targeted in the parks, 4,150 of these were Red Kangaroos.
• In 2014, 2075 Kangaroos were targeted in the parks, 450 of these were Red Kangaroos.
• In 2015, 7,325 Kangaroos were targeted in the parks, 2,450 of these were Red Kangaroos.
• In 2016, 21,129 Kangaroos were targeted in the parks, 10,680 of these were Red Kangaroos.

“In 2016, Parks Victoria removed a total of 9,216 Kangaroos from the North West parks over 30 nights between April and August. This accounted for 44 per cent of the overall target of 21,129”.

• In 2017, 7,021 Kangaroos were targeted in the parks, 5,105 of these were Red Kangaroos. Here is the chilling language from the Victorian Government in that year:

“Parks Victoria remove the total of 2,150 Kangaroos from the north-west parks over 12 nights in May 2017 under ATCW permits. This accounted for 31 per cent of the overall target of 7,021. The target was achieved for Western Grey Kangaroos but only 6 per cent of the target was achieved for Red Kangaroos. Achieving the targets for Red Kangaroos was difficult due to significantly high target numbers the time between survey and culling meant many Kangaroos had moved on to other areas and culling during colder weather was less effective due to Kangaroo inactivity”.

• Currently I do not have information relating to the intervening years.
• In 2020, 8,162 Kangaroos were targeted in the parks, a significant percentage were Red Kangaroos. For 2021 we do not have the data at this time. Remember that his was a time of the most severe bush fires on record, include drought and then severe floods.
• In 2022, 10,148 Kangaroos were targeted in the parks, 7,440 of these were Red Kangaroos. These animals were killed under ATCW permit numbers 14973758, 14973813 and 14973795.

“Again in the parks, following analysis it was determined that all target areas had over abundant Kangaroo populations. Parks Victoria compared the population estimates to the designated carrying capacities of each management area and 10,148 animals were identified for removal. 2,708 Western Grey Kangaroos and 7,440 Red Kangaroos. This target was slightly higher in number than the previous year (8,162 in 2020) and it continued the trend since 2013, of high numbers of Red Kangaroos being identified for removal. Red Kangaroos, now the majority of animals ear marked for removal, making up 73 cent of the overall target”.

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“The culling programme commenced on the 6th of December 2021 at the Wyperfeld National Park and the Murray Sunset National Park. The programme closed down for two weeks over Christmas and new year public holidays and recommenced on the 4th of January 2022 for another six weeks until 9 February 2022. High river flows restricted access to Lindsay Island so an additional week of shooting was conducted at Lindsay Island on 4 to 8 April 2022, once river levels receded. There were 32.5 nights of operations that occurred during the nine weeks of operations.

Overall 3,693 animals were removed which was 36 per cent of the overall target. This was an improvement on the previous year's results. Wyperfeld National Park was close to achieving its target 82 per cent, the Hattah-Kulkyne National Park, 46 per cent and Murray Sunset National Park at 26 per cent. All were well below the target and this continues the recent trend of a significant gap between target and actual achieved.

The Western Grey Kangaroo target was almost achieved at 98 per cent whilst Red Kangaroos were well below the target with only 14 per cent achieved.

The programme cost $189,120 (GST excluded). Parks Victoria staff spent 110 person days (840 hours) supporting contractors to deliver the on ground shooting program.

The COVID-19 pandemic continued to present challenges and this monitoring and control programme was adapted to meet COVID-19 requirements. Job safety analysis were reviewed and updated to include COVID-19 control measures due to the continuation of state border restrictions the aerial survey was again based in South Australia engaging South Australian aircraft”.

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“When adult female Kangaroos were shot, any pouch young present were required to be euthanized immediately as per the COP euthanasia procedures and were performed with the intent of complying with the conditions specified by the SOP, the protocol used by Parks Victoria. Furred pouch young being euthanized by a blunt trauma and unfurred pouch young being ‘euthanized’ by decapitation with a sharp blade after blunt trauma stunning. A total of 41 adult female Kangaroos were inspected for the presence of pouch young, of these animals, 68 per cent had a single pouch young present”.

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This section, based on writings by Peter Preuss, the author of The Red Sands of Hattah, from direct experience at the time, describes the mass killing of Australian mammal species in Victoria’s state and national parks and other public lands. This account is from the Hattah-Kulkyne National Park in 1991.

“Warning do not drive on this surface".

The pits caused a safety hazard as the soft oozing body fluids of a vast number of Kangaroos caused the surface of this site to be very boggy over the pits.

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This is one of the death pits containing the carcasses of thousands of Kangaroos killed in the 1990-1991 mass killing of Kangaroos. The park’s management have dug a death pit at one of the most obvious areas of natural regeneration and natural dune stabilisation in the park. Red Gum, Black Box and Callitris Hop Bush were all actively regenerating at and near this site prior to the killings. This destroyed the natural regeneration that was occurring over the site. The pit caused soil damage from which this area will take many years to recover (the 1984 Kangaroo disposal pits are still compacted from the earthmoving equipment as no effort has been made to restore this area).

Digging these terrible disposal pits resulted in significant invasive threats including weeds, introduced by the earthmoving equipment that dug the pits and compacted the land and from the shooters vehicles.

These gruesome Kangaroo pits caused a health hazard, warning signs are here telling visitors not to drink or swim in the water as the oozing body fluids of thousands of dead Kangaroos have permeated through the sand into the Lake.

"The slimy fluid oozing to the surface above the pit is being washed into Lake Lockie. In times of flood these Kangaroo death pits will be under Lake Lockie, which connects into Lake Mournpall and Lake Hattah, where people swim and sometimes drink the water. The water from Lake Hattah is pumped to the Hattah township as its major water supply”. Peter Preuss

Conflation propaganda in the Hattah-Kulkyne National Park visitor centre:

“If we can just keep the rabbits and the roos down, it’s quite possible that the recovery process could really keep going”.

There are three things I dislike intensely, bullies, cruelty to animals and secrecy. What goes on, in at least some of Australia’s public parks and reserves, has very large portions of each.

These are the things that are not to be tolerated in a civil society or a democracy. And the biggest lie of all is that wildlife in Victoria is protected.

One question that has never been answered was what has happened to all the carcasses of the animals killed in the years since 2017? It needs to be answered.

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In Australia’s state of Victoria, If the mass killing of Kangaroos, the secretive killing of Koalas, the annual mass slaughter of waterbirds (77 per cent of the Australian states total slaughter), the targeting of around 100 native species with ATCW permits, the ’unprotection’ of other native species, the blocking of wildlife rescues on public land, shocking standards of conduct when it comes to native forests in the state, the capture of Ramsar sites and other wetlands as shooting and game reserves, the refusal to support conservation measures on the failing River Murray was not enough, here are some more revelations.

“Victorians across the state care deeply about our precious threatened species, but Labor in Victoria just doesn’t prioritise them. Labor has cut funding for biodiversity programs which means we have 1,500 threatened species with no action plans for their survival. Ellen Sandell MP for Melbourne

The PAEC inquiry into the 2021-22 and 2022-23 Financial and Performance Outcomes of the Victorian Government has revealed a series of deeply troubling issues regarding the future of Australian wildlife in the state.

Victoria’s environment department (now DEECA) has revealed that 1,500 threatened species are still waiting on action plans being developed, after the department’s funding was gutted by Labor. Only 100 species have had plans developed by the Victorian Government over the last two years, after a scathing Victorian Auditor-General's Office (VAGO) report in 2021 found the Department was not developing plans as required under the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act laws.

It was also revealed that Victoria’s environment department is still developing the 2021 and 2022 annual reports for its Biodiversity 2037 program while two related, overdue reports (these are both reports to which we have spent a great deal of time on (pro bono) assisting the government in both meetings and submissions). These are:

• The Government Response to the Parliamentary Inquiry into Ecosystem Decline (due 2 June 2022); and
• The Independent Review of Victoria’s Wildlife Act 1975 (delivered December 2021) and the Government Response

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Freedom of information

Here is an example of lack of transparency and lack of management (it is not possible to manage a situation if you don’t know), FOI request initially rejected and again on appeal as below:

“Application forms and permits issued to kill Kangaroos and Wallabies on land managed by Parks Victoria from January 2014 to present (when final decision is made on this FOI). Documents detailing number of Kangaroos and Wallabies killed on land managed by Parks Victoria (including gender and joeys) from Jan 2014 to present (when final decision is made on this FOI)”.

“In relation to the first category of documents, I have determined to refuse to grant access to the documents in accordance with the request under section 25A(1) on grounds I am satisfied the work involved in processing the request would substantially and unreasonably divert the resources of the Agency from its other operations”.

“In relation to the second category of documents, I am satisfied no discrete document exists and it is not possible for the Agency to produce a document in accordance with section 19. In these circumstances, the FOI Act does not require the Agency to create a relevant document”.

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