Ms O’CONNOR – Why was funding for the orange-bellied program cut in the two out years? Top line. Because we’ve heard a lot from the minister how seriously the government takes the protection of threatened species, and the evidence is in the numbers, the funding for an orange-bellied parrot program seems to have been slashed.
CHAIR – A thousand this year and then nothing.
Ms OGILVIE – I’m just being directed to some more specific information.
Ms O’CONNOR – This is the sort of stuff you could just know, as minister.
Ms OGILVIE – It’s good to get the details right.
Ms O’CONNOR – Yes, but it gets a bit boring after nine hours at the table being read to.
Ms OGILVIE – The orange-bellied parrot is one of the world’s rarest and most remarkable migratory parrots, as we know. We love the orange-bellied parrots. I’ve been able to visit them. Tasmania does play a critical – I have been out to visit them – role in its survival.
The question and the interest that you have in this, I know is very genuine and I take that for real, obviously. It’s an iconic and critically endangered species. It breeds only at Melaleuca, in Tasmania’s remote south-west and migrates across Bass Strait to mainland Australia every autumn. It’s one of only three migratory parrots in the world and its survival depends on the work we do here in Tasmania.
Ms O’CONNOR – So why’d you cut the funding?
Ms OGILVIE – Monitoring of the population of orange‑bellied parrots at Melaleuca commenced in 1979. Captive breeding started in 1981. We thank generations of hard-working staff and all Tasmanians for their love of this beautiful little bird.
Ms O’CONNOR – Waste of time.
Ms OGILVIE – The Tasmanian government has been investing in orange-bellied parrot conservation for more than four decades. In 2023‑24, we committed an additional $1.3 million over two years to improve our understanding of migration threats and to maintain the facility and critical infrastructure, the Five Mile Beach captive breeding facility.
This funding supports the orange‑bellied parrot migration tracking project, which is now in its second year with 42 birds fitted with transmitters – I think you were mentioning those before, Chair – and 18 receiver towers installed across the migration route. Technologies are giving some unprecedented insight into species movement, and at the same time upgrades to the Five Mile Beach wildlife management facility are underway to improve breeding success and biosecurity measures.
The results speak for themselves: last season the wild population reached 91 adults, the highest since the 1990s, and produced a record 99 wild‑born fledglings at Melaleuca, 28 captive juveniles and 15 captive adults released. These successes meant an estimated 172 birds migrated north to a future only unimaginable just a decade ago.
Ms THOMAS – Was there an answer to the question? The question was why is the funding cut, and there was nothing in that answer, in that very long spiel, about the answer.
CHAIR – How many came back?
Ms OGILVIE – How many came back? Yes, I’ve got that.
CHAIR – Just to cut to the chase – it’s in the capital investment program –
Ms OGILVIE – In 2026-27 when the orange-bellied parrot budget initiative funding concludes, the migration tracking project will conclude in 2026 and a final report will be released following analysis of next year’s data. Additional monitoring and funding needs will be identified through the course of the project with the threatened species fund, one potential source of funding for this priority work.
Ms O’CONNOR – This morning, and I think we’re just about to be out of time – in the minister for energy’s Estimates – I will note that he didn’t need to read too much from his brief, but we were trying to establish whether or not ACEN has been working with his agency or the environment department on mitigation of the impacts of the Robbins Island Wind Farm on migratory orange‑bellied parrots. He suggested we ask you. Are you aware of any work that’s been undertaken with the proponent of the Robbins Island Wind Farm? There’s a contract requirement –
Ms OGILVIE – In relation to transmitters?
CHAIR – The wind turbines.
Ms O’CONNOR – in relation to the impacts of the turbines on the orange‑bellied parrots who fly across that region. It’s an identified risk by the Environment Protection Authority to the bird itself.
Ms OGILVIE – I would have to ask. I think the – I’m not aware.
Ms O’CONNOR – Last time you visited them?
Ms OGILVIE – I think the stage of the process is that an EIS has to be developed.
Ms WILSON – I think, just to clarify the question, any interactions we’ve had with ACEN and in relation to the parrot – with the tracking project, we worked with ACEN. ACEN put some VHF towers in the migratory pathway. That helped us get a constant ‑ I guess –
Ms OGILVIE – A feed.
Ms WILSON – Feed. Thank you, minister. But their raw data was sent directly to us so there was absolute independence of the data. Where now birds flew over their towers, they would ping and that was a great help to the project. We have liaised with them on that and just incidentally, their towers have contributed more to the data than any of our other towers, so that was really useful.
Ms O’CONNOR – Will the environment department be working with ACEN on the conservation program – through you, minister – that I understand, they’re required to prepare and implement for the orange-bellied parrot?
Ms WILSON -ACEN as part of their EPBC –
Ms O’CONNOR – To develop a conservation program for a critically endangered bird.
Ms OGILVIE – EPBC level, yes.
Ms WILSON -As part of their conditions, there are lots of conditions there that will require us to provide some advice and I understand that, from memory, the decision also included approval of management plans and all those sorts of things.
Ms O’CONNOR – [inaudible] management?
Ms WILSON – No, it’s actually management plans in relation to the specific income, not a recovery plan, as in for the species. I think ultimately under the decision the Commonwealth department, DCCEEW, as the ongoing regulator, is responsible for approving those plans but they will – and we’ve had discussions with the assessment team – we will be consulted to make sure that they’re appropriate.
CHAIR – Thanks, minister. I hope those orange-bellied parrots are tweeting their locations so you can record them.
