The establishment of a working group and more funding for research are the key recommendations of a parliamentary inquiry into the impact of flying foxes on Australia’s urban communities.
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The committee tabled its report in the federal parliament on Monday.
The inquiry was initiated last year by Member for Hunter Joel Fitzgibbon, in response to the severe impacts flying fox colonies were having on Hunter communities.
“Unsurprisingly, the committee agreed with experts who said flying foxes play an important role in our ecology as seed dispersers and pollinators for a wide range of native fauna,” Mr Fitzgibbon said.
“But committee members also recognised the extent of the problem for local communities and for local councils.
“It has put forward a number of recommendations which address the complex and confusing web of regulations which make it so hard to deal with the problem.
Mr Fitzgibbon said the key initiative designed to deal with the complexities created by the multiple roles of the three tiers of government is the recommendation for the establishment a “flying fox working group” within the Council of Australian Government (COAG) framework.
“While forming another committee is not always my first choice, I hope governments embrace the recommendation,” he said.
“It can only help and it would be of particular assistance to our local councils.”
The committee also wants the government to provide additional funding to improve research and data collection to gain a better understanding of the problem.
“Properly understanding a problem is always a first step in any effort to address it,” Mr Fitzgibbon said.
The committee recommended that the Department of the Environment and Energy consult with state and local governments to develop a tool that assists councils to make decisions on action, referral and education in the most appropriate way, relevant to the impacts of flying fox in their jurisdiction.
“Done well, the recommendation to provide councils with tools for managing flying fox colonies may be useful,” Mr Fitzgibbon said.
