Today in Parliament, Abigail contributed to a debate opposing the commercial slaughter of kangaroos in NSW. While global momentum builds to end the trade of kangaroo parts, including recent U.S. legislative efforts to ban kangaroo imports, Labor and the Coalition sadly supported this awful motion.
Abigail said:
As the animal welfare spokesperson on behalf of The Greens, I oppose the motion. It is a confused and self-contradictory motion far removed from the proven reality. The motion is telling us that the post-colonial landscape is some kind of kangaroo utopia where man-made fields, dams and introduced plant species have created such idyllic conditions for a certain species that they are reproducing beyond their natural bounds, and yet, in the very same breath, the motion is bemoaning the impact of kangaroos on ecosystems, habitats and biodiversity, resulting in situations of drought and famine.
The only accurate part of the motion is where it identifies the agriculture industry's harmful impact on kangaroo populations. The simple fact is that post-colonial land uses and the displacement of First Nations peoples and knowledges have seen the destruction of sacred land and altered landscapes and ecosystems, straining and fracturing First Nations peoples' sacred and profound ancestral relationships to country. That continues to this day, with kangaroos being victims of the largest legalised commercial wildlife slaughter in the world—a trade that has had devastating impacts on the living ancestral relationships between many First Nations peoples and kangaroos.
Across the world, communities, politicians, businesses and consumers are increasingly joining the fight to end this inhumane and unnecessary industry that inflicts unimaginable cruelty and suffering on millions of kangaroos and their joeys each year. The Kangaroo Protection Act of 2024, introduced in the United States [US] Senate by Democrat Senator Tammy Duckworth last month, is a testament to tireless, years-long campaigning of countless animal welfare activists and scientific experts. The bill was introduced for the purpose of protecting kangaroos from this unwanted trade, and for the member to suggest otherwise is simply absurd. To quote Senator Duckworth directly, she said:
We must take action to conserve the kangaroo species and end their inhumane exploitation. This legislation will ensure that no one in the United States can distribute kangaroo products for commercial benefits.
It is a notable bill, but it is not the first time a Parliament has considered such a proposal. Bills to ban kangaroo products have been brought before US states of Oregon and Connecticut in recent years, and in the 1970s California became the first US state to enact a ban. Across the United States and the European Union [EU], numerous inquiries have considered such bans, and petitions with tens of thousands of signatures have been debated. The reality is that the EU and the US, both major players in the commercial kangaroo trade, are getting on track to ban kangaroo imports, which will undoubtedly force Australia to shut the industry down entirely.
New South Wales has permitted the commercial slaughter of kangaroos for over 45 years with little regulation. Ecological experts are warning that kangaroo numbers in New South Wales have drastically declined since pre-colonisation, with mobs fragmented and some even depleted to extinction. It is time for the New South Wales Government to listen to the experts, the evidence and communities, and take immediate and decisive action to end the commercial slaughter of kangaroos in New South Wales.
Unfortunately Labor and the Coalition banded together and voted to support the passing of this cruel and abhorrent motion.
Read the full debate in Hansard here.
23 October 2024