RSPCA SA updated views on kangaroo and wallaby management March 2025 - RSPCA South Australia (2025)

March 20, 2025

Thank you for helping to get the Inquiry on Kangaroo management in SA up! Please make your submission to the Inquiry by 18th April 2025.

The Inquiry is now underway and ready to receive your submissions. RSPCA South Australia supports the inquiry and hopes it will highlight the animal welfare problems inherent to the current management system and identify changes to improve animal welfare.

The Kangaroo and Wallaby Inquiry is an important opportunity for wildlife carers and the community to document your experiences with these animals, your views about their value and how you would like to see them managed.

Here are some of RSPCA SA’s key concerns about how kangaroos and wallabies are managed in SA that you may like to include in your submission. Express your concerns in your own words if you can:

1. Current Management Practices Are Inadequately Justified

South Australia currently manages kangaroos and wallabies predominantly as “pests” or “harvestable resources”. Instead, these animals should only be managed where there is a clear and documented need to mitigate negative impacts, for example, when they are in a poor welfare state or where they have caused serious environmental damage, and only when these problems are well-evidenced. In agriculture, kangaroos are often misaligned as causing pasture damage; however, research shows this is a simplistic view of the complex interactions between native, farmed, and invasive herbivores. Furthermore, non-lethal methods should be explored as the first option for mitigating any negative impacts.

2. The inherent value of kangaroos is being overlooked

Kangaroos and wallabies are highly valued by the community and tourists alike, their treatment as “harvestable resources” under government policy fails to reflect community views. Policy must be revised to better align with public sentiment.

3. Undermining Intrinsic Worth

Kangaroos and wallabies are sentient animals with the capacity to suffer. The management of kangaroos and wallabies exclusively as “pests” under the Non-Commercial Kangaroo Shooting Code or as “harvestable resources” under the Commercial Kangaroo Shooting Code undermines their intrinsic value. This approach increases the exposure of these animals to inhumane treatment and fails to recognise their real value.

4. Lack of Compliance Monitoring Increases Risk to Welfare

There is currently no compliance monitoring of the actual killing process itself, within either the non-commercial or commercial shooting systems’. As a result, serious welfare issues often go undetected, including:

• • Orphaned, dependent joeys escaping shooters and slowly starving to death
  • Shooters failing to humanely kill pouch young
  • Wounding rates, with injured kangaroos escaping and dying slowly
  • The potential for joey suffering from the killing methods prescribed under the code – blunt force trauma, decapitation, and cervical dislocation

5. Inconsistent Shooting Programs

Even when shooting is justified, it is highly problematic that two different shooting programs exist—Commercial and Non-Commercial—each with varying standards for justification and animal welfare. This inconsistency complicates the enforcement of humane practices. The Non-Commercial code was due for revision in 2013 and requires urgent updating to protect the welfare of animals being shot under this code.

6. Ecological Role Underappreciated

Kangaroos play a crucial role in the ecosystem by aiding in the regeneration of native plants. However, this important ecological contribution is not adequately acknowledged in current management plans, leading to incomplete and ineffective conservation strategies. Furthermore, in agriculture, they are often misaligned as causing pasture damage; however, research shows this is a simplistic view of the complex interactions between native, farmed, and invasive herbivores.

7. Inadequate Data Collection

The current management system lacks accurate data on several critical aspects, including:

• The total number of kangaroos killed
• The number of pouch young and orphan joeys “at foot” killed and the methods used
• The number of kangaroos that escape injured after being shot
• Actual numbers of kangaroos shot under damage mitigation permits
• Accurate numbers on animals shot and left in the field

This deficiency in data hampers the ability to effectively assess and improve management practices.

The Terms of Reference (T.O.R.) for this Inquiry are published here and the deadline for submissions is 18th April 2025: https://www.parliament.sa.gov.au/en/News/2025/03/04/02/51/SUBMISSIONS-OPEN-Inquiry-into-Kangaroo-and-Wallaby-Populations-in-South-Australia

How to make a submission to an SA Parliamentary Inquiry:

The Terms of Reference (T.O.R.) for this Inquiry are published here and the deadline for submissions is 18th April 2025: https://www.parliament.sa.gov.au/en/News/2025/03/04/02/51/SUBMISSIONS-OPEN-Inquiry-into-Kangaroo-and-Wallaby-Populations-in-South-Australia

1. Prepare Your Submission Document: Email in your own submission. Select a readable font like Arial or Times New Roman.

• Include Header Information
• Address To: Specify the Committee’s name.
• Inquiry Name: Clearly state the name of the Inquiry.
• Your Details: Provide your name, organization (if applicable), address, and phone number.
• Qualifications: Mention any relevant qualifications.
• Confidentiality Request: If you want your entire submission to be confidential, state this here. Note that your contact details will remain confidential by default
• Write Your Submission

2. State Your Purpose: Clearly express your views and the reason for your submission. Indicate which Terms of Reference (TOR) you are addressing (all or specific ones).
Content to Include:

• Facts: Provide relevant data and information.
• Opinions: Share your perspectives and viewpoints.
• Personal Experiences: Include any relevant personal stories or experiences.
• Recommendations: Offer suggestions and solutions to the issues being considered.

3. Organise Your Content: Use headings and sub-headings to break up text. Be polite, concise, and to the point to respect the Committee’s time.

4. Put your executive summary at the front and attach supporting documents.

Summarise key points and outline your main arguments and recommendations at the front of your submission (up to 1 page). Also include whether you would like to appear at the Inquiry in person and why, and then attach any relevant documents that support your submission. Reference the supporting documents in your submission so the committee knows why you have included them.

6. Email Your Submission: Email your submission tothe Parliamentary Officer at [emailprotected]or mail it to the address provided in the Inquiry advertisement. If you cannot email, contact Committee staff for alternative submission options. Follow up with Committee staff to ensure your submission has been received.

Parliamentary Officer NRC
C/- Parliament House
GPO Box 572
ADELAIDE SA 5001

All submissions will be made publicly available unless otherwise determined by the Committee. For further information, please contact the Parliamentary Officer on (08) 8237 9387 or at the above email address.

7. After Submission: Unless you requested confidentiality, your submission will be published on the Parliament’s website with your contact details removed. Committee staff may contact you if you requested to speak at a public hearing. Check the Parliamentary website regularly for updates under sections like ‘Upcoming Hearings’.
Need Assistance? Contact Committee Staff if you have questions or concerns, reach out using the contact details provided in the Inquiry advertisement on the Parliamentary website or in local newspapers.

Learn More:

• https://kb.rspca.org.au/knowledge-base/what-happens-to-joeys-when-female-kangaroos-are-shot/
• https://kb.rspca.org.au/knowledge-base/what-is-the-difference-between-non-commercial-and-commercial-kangaroo-shooting/