Dr WOODRUFF (Franklin – Leader of the Greens) – Honourable Speaker, I rise to make a contribution after speaking to some very passionate locals from Seven Mile Beach, who met with me a couple of weeks ago to talk about Neil. Neil is an elephant seal, and we would all remember Neil. He’s a member of a protected species and was born here in Saltwater River, on the Tasman Peninsula, which is why he treats our southern beaches like his home; that is what they are. He comes back here twice a year, in the middle of the year, as he did recently, and in December‑ish to moult when he needs rest and can’t go into the water. People have followed him since birth, and I was lucky enough to speak with two locals who were there when he was discovered as a pup on the beach. He was seen this year at Goats Beach, but he does move around and he makes various parts of Clifton and other areas his home.
He’s a delight. We’ve all laughed seeing what he’s done. He gives us real joy. There’s something about his hooligan behaviour, his wanton destruction of everyday roadside objects which really speaks to us. I think he invites us to be carefree. He’s completely guileless and the way he lolls in the sun and takes up space in public is just beautiful to see. It’s cartoon‑like, he’s childlike, and he’s everything that people love, so much so that he’s a viral internet global sensation. Everyone wants to be near Neil, to see him and get a picture with him, which is why the locals are very concerned, as are many Tasmanians, that Neil’s at risk of being loved to death.
It’s more than just damaging bollards, bus stops, fences and phone boxes, because he is a wild animal. He has a wild heart and he’s one tonne, and he’s going to grow to three tonnes pretty quickly. He’s capable of seriously injuring a person, as any male elephant seal can do, who wants to test themselves and who would also feel attacked by people approaching. People did crazy, stupid herd behaviour, as humans are prone to do. Locals talked to me about what it was like. Neil moved around, but there was some period of time where he stayed in the same area. They talked about the Clarence City Council security, people who were there staffing, looking out for Neil 24 hours a day whatever the weather. Big groups of kids would turn up and they’d traipse all over the sand dunes, they’d throw rocks at Neil trying to get Neil to wake up. Busloads of overseas tourists would turn up in the dark to go to the spot where Neil was last seen. There were incredible problems with traffic, and there was a constant sense of threat and concern for people who felt worried about Neil and what was happening.
He was very much promoted on social media. The Premier made a comment about whether extra protections were needed for Neil, and his comment was common sense is what we need. That’s a nice idea, but it is nowhere near enough when you have the throngs of people and the threats to Neil. The group effect was unbelievable, and Neil needs a proper plan to keep him alive and to give the community agency about the impacts that Neil visiting has on them, their lifestyle and their environment being impacted by sightseers. They want to know, we want to know, what does NRE have as a long-term management plan for Neil? He needs to be wild and safe and the community also needs to be safe.
I understand there are discussions with NRE that have happened, but there needs to be a formally established wildlife exclusion zone. There needs to be a social media and traditional media comms plan. There need to be traffic management plans. There needs to be management for volunteers and community management plans for every separate community that Neil visits, that the community are involved with because it is specific.
Honourable Speaker, Neil is history in the making. He’s also the first elephant seal to survive here since the days of whaling, as well as being an international Insta star, and we will keep working with the community to make sure that the next time Neil returns to Tasmania he is kept safe and so is the community.
