Wildlife Victoria Response to Government’s Wildlife Act Review
On Friday evening, the Victorian Government released a long-overdue response to the review of the Wildlife Act, nearly 4 years after the Expert Advisory Panel delivered its report to the Victorian Government in what was a very clear and succinct set of recommendations. The Wildlife Act is the primary legislation in place for protecting our wildlife and has been inadequate in doing so, being enacted 50 years ago. Time for change has been well overdue.
Wildlife Victoria has long advocated for stronger protections for our native species. Our submission to the Wildlife Act 1975 Review in 2021 outlined critical reforms needed to safeguard wildlife across the state. Four years on, the need for substantive change has become even more pressing.
Overall, the Expert Advisory Panel’s recommendations strongly reflected the substance and intent of Wildlife Victoria’s 2021 submission. However, the Victorian Government’s response has failed to take the opportunity to drive the structural transformation both recommended by the Expert Advisory Panel and absolutely required to protect our wildlife.
The government response instead has focussed largely on some regulatory updates and compliance rather than the reform required. While we welcome some aspects of the government’s response, such as increased penalties for wildlife crime, the government’s plan lacks the specificity required to determine whether these changes are appropriately meaningful and relevant. We call for a detailed implementation plan, with clear timelines and specificity around how the government intends to deliver on its commitments.
The State Government has failed to introduce the most significant and important reform recommended by the Expert Panel, which is a new Act that better protects and conserves wildlife, rather than revising the current Wildlife Act. While the announced changes are welcome, they are not enough. Wildlife Victoria will continue to push for stronger protections, ethical management, and better support for wildlife, and those who rescue and care for them, across Victoria.
In 2021 the Expert Panel explicitly noted in its report that native fauna and biodiversity are under pressure and the decline is likely to continue as “pressures from population growth, human activity and climate change persist”. At Wildlife Victoria, we have seen these pressures on Victoria’s wildlife intensify dramatically and realised in the form of incidents we are responding to. At the time of our 2021 submission, Wildlife Victoria was responding to 80,000 requests for help for sick, injured and orphaned wildlife and attending to 50,000 wildlife each year. Last year, 2024, these numbers had doubled: we handled 160,000 requests for help and cared for nearly 98,000 wildlife across more than 450 species. This rapid growth underscores that minor adjustments to the Wildlife Act are no longer sufficient. Wildlife Victoria called for a comprehensive reform of the Act, an overhaul that strengthens protections for wildlife and ensures sustainable, safe, and effective wildlife rescue and rehabilitation across Victoria.
Wildlife Victoria welcomes the government’s recent announcement as a step forward. Stronger penalties for those who deliberately harm wildlife are long overdue, and it is encouraging to see wildlife crime now being taken seriously. The introduction of a more risk-based approach to native species management is also promising. Wildlife carers across Victoria work tirelessly to ensure animals receive the highest standard of care, and it is vital that all involved uphold these standards to avoid unnecessary stress or unsuitable conditions.
At the same time, it is important to note which aspects of our advocacy have been addressed and where gaps remain.
In our 2021 submission, Wildlife Victoria made strong recommendations across multiple areas, specifically, 32 recommendations across 11 key themes. In addition to our earlier recommendations, we are now calling for legislation and licensing across wildlife rescue. Currently, the Act includes provisions for wildlife rehabilitation, but there is no regulatory framework for wildlife rescue which is now of the size and scale that poses significant risks to both the public and wildlife, and requires a structured, coordinated and well supported response with formalised licensing and standards to ensure robust service provision for the community and our precious wildlife. Wildlife Victoria invests heavily in the provision of a statewide wildlife emergency response service, and has done so since 1989, yet operates without the appropriate recognition and government framework and support for the work we do.
With your continued support, Wildlife Victoria can drive this critical reform, safeguard Victoria’s wildlife, support volunteers and strengthen our ability to respond to the growing demand for help. Every contribution helps us advocate, care, and act for animals when they need it most.
Thank you for standing with us and Victoria’s wildlife. With your help, we can keep working to ensure a future where native species are protected, supported, and valued across our state.
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