Hi Koala lovers,

I am going on leave today and return to the office on 4th January, 2016. That will be the year the AKF achieves its greatest goal; to gain support from 76 politicians to enact  Koala Protection Act.

There are 150 federal politicians in Australia that have the power to make it happen. All we need is half, plus one to table the document. 

If you watch House of Cards with Kevin Spacey, you can see that gaining support for a document like the KPA is just a numbers game. We have had two say yes already. All we have to do is make the rest see that they should support a common sense piece of legislation that will protect Koala trees.

There are 128 politicians in the Koala’s former and current range and those politicians have now been written to 3 times this year.

Two see the sense in a Koala Protection Act, and the rest either ignore the letters or write back bland statements that those of us in the real world know are just platitudes and pandering to industry. 

And pander to industry they do.  

These facts are a blatant demonstration that our political leaders have no interest in Koalas except for Koala Diplomacy when dignitaries visit.

AKF has the science to prove that the Koala is in trouble.  It is ignored. 

As I leave my chair for the holidays, I know that we have prepared everything we need to win the argument scientifically.

I have already sent what I regard as the most convincing document to the Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull with maps and if he was at all interested, he would see that there is no argument.  The Koala is in trouble.

I wonder whether he read the correspondence?  I know he has been busy, particularly in Paris.

Dr Kerlin wrote a piece about our visit to COP 15 in Copenhagen.  That is where I learnt that industry can truly control our planet and the environment plays second fiddle.

But, when I heard President Obama speak about how important island ecosystems are as he's an"island boy" (he was raised in Hawaii), after the presidents of all the island nations in the Pacific pleaded with the world to stop climate change and sea levels rising, I knew that we are now entering a new time in history.  

I am proud to be part of that – our NGO’s in Paris spoke magnificently. Our Australian leaders, however, were slow off the mark to fully engage, because of our reliance on coal and fossil fuels.

Two words nearly stopped the show. They were "should" and "shall". "Should" implies a moral obligation but does not compel a nation to do something. "Shall", however, means there would be a legal obligation to undertake the action. 

Someone smart had put in "shall" at the last minute – I wonder who? Some brave negotiator somewhere and I suppose one day there may be a movie about him or her. It was of course replaced by “should”.  So there is a moral obligation, but not a legal obligation to do what they have all agreed.  That said, the world now has a document that basically says we will all work together for a better world.  

The President of France quoted Ghandi – “we must protect a world that we will never see”. 

That is what drives me I think.  

I truly cannot bear to think of all the beautiful things that bring me so much joy being destroyed.

AKF has argued and will continue to argue that the Koala forests of Australia play a huge role in keeping our nation and world safe. That they will contribute to the reduction of pollution and carbon and do what forests have always done.  Keep our ecosystems clean for a sustainable world. 

We all know the arguments of why we should keep the forests and we all know that greed and politics get in the way.

So, watch House of Cards while you're resting at home over your holidays and join the Koala Army.

Australians – identify your local politicians and tell them they “shall” support a Koala Protection Act, or you will vote for someone who will. Of course know that I “shall”, be back to make sure we get a KPA that “shall” protect the Koalas trees.

Merry Christmas from me and Mr Darcy.

Fond Regards,