It’s devastating to hear that bird flu has been detected in a brown skua at Rocky Cape in Tasmania. The Federal Government has identified many iconic Tasmanian native birds and mammals at high risk of extinction from bird flu, with poultry and domestic animals also at risk. The Rockliff Government must put everything it can into an effective response, including reversing NRE budget cuts and protecting species’ habitat.
Iconic Tasmanian birds such as the Orange-bellied, swift parrots and the wedged-tailed eagle are already endangered, but the arrival of bird flu represents a new threat to their survival. Mammals such as the Tasmanian devil and eastern quoll also face extreme risks from the bird flu.
The Liberal Government needs to do everything it can to increase the chance of survival for Tasmania’s birds and animals. This means removing additional threats like habitat destruction through land clearing and native forest logging, revisiting the criteria for property protection permits to manage species such as black swans, and expanded monitoring.
This is an emergency for our state’s wild and domesticated species. It needs maximum resourcing if we are to prevent the extinction of key species, the decimation of poultry flocks, and the deaths of domesticated animals.
The Greens are also mindful of the Tasmanian Aboriginal Community’s profound connection to the yula/mutton bird, a migratory sea bird central to an annual cultural practice of immense significance. The arrival of bird flu will be of particular concern to Palawa people.
A widespread community education program is imperative, along with the establishment of a formal stakeholder advisory group. At minimum, it should include Tasmanian Aboriginal people, wildlife ecologists, conservationists, commercial poultry and livestock producers.
The Liberal Government budget committed to cut $59 million from NRE, the agency tasked with responding to this crisis. Any cut to Biosecurity Tasmania or wildlife management at this time would absolutely condemn our species and primary industries to a terrible outcome.
The Greens will work with government to protect Tasmania’s birds and mammal species from the risk of bird flu.
