Council
20 November, 2025
Pest management falls short, Kealy says
MEMBER for Lowan Emma Kealy has urged the Victorian Government to “apply some common sense” to kangaroo management after analysis showed a decline in the number of control measures being issued despite a boom in kangaroo populations.
The increased presence of kangaroos has been a concern for Ms Kealy, the Shadow Minister for Agriculture, throughout the year.
As Western District Newspapers reported last month, Ms Kealy had contacted Minister for Environment Steve Dimopoulous in May after a Mortlake resident contacted her office saying they were struggling with overgrazing on their property due to an increased presence of kangaroos.
She said many farmers applying for an Authority to Control Wildlife permit were either knocked back or not given sufficient scope to control kangaroos on their property.
At the same time, the number of tags issued to registered hunters through the kangaroo harvesting program has dropped significantly, compounding the issue for landholders.
“Mobs in plague proportions are stripping paddocks bare, destroying crops and pose a danger to road travel, but the government keeps cutting the number of harvest tags and control permits available,” Ms Kealy said.
“Farmers are being told to apply for permits that allow for just a handful of kangaroos, while licensed harvesters are standing ready and willing to do the job properly — under strict regulation, with no waste, and with the potential to create a valuable source of income and protein.”
Ms Kealy said the government’s own data showed it set the kangaroo harvesting quota at 166,750 in 2023, but dropped it to 115,575 in 2024.
This year, the government lowered the quota again, to 106,750, despite kangaroo populations continuing to rise.
“It makes no sense for the government to hand out rebates for farmers to shoot and bury kangaroos while cutting back tags for professional harvesters who could be processing them for human consumption,” Ms Kealy said.
“Let the trained, licensed harvesters manage the problem responsibly, rather than burdening farmers with endless paperwork for permits that don’t match the scale of the issue.”
Ms Kealy said the Labor government’s current approach was wasteful, inconsistent, and left farmers without viable options.
“Our farmers feed the nation,” she said.
“They deserve a system that helps, not hinders, and that means issuing more tags to licensed harvesters where kangaroo numbers are out of control.
“The government must urgently review its kangaroo management programs and bring some common sense back into the system before more damage is done to farms and regional food production.”
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