Happy New Year! I am glad to be back, and at the moment the team and I are planning for a great year of achievements for our organisation so that we remain strong and clear for the koala.

Until we hear about the Minister’s decision to list the koala, which he says he will make on 17th February, it is very difficult to plan or strategise about what is needed, other than our constant presence and vigilance about the issues that face the koala in the wild.

Emails, as always, abound, and a new website will be launched in coming days which will seek to help people more and more so they can be more self-reliant in understanding the complexities of koala conservation. KoalaMap is a great help in that regard and hopefully if a listing does occur then the AKF would be able to get on with our core business, which is making sure good science is used for projects that are in a koala habitat. If the koala does not get listed then I think the Senate Inquiry was a complete waste of money and, worse still, nothing will stand in the way of future damage and loss of animals.

I am going to stay positive and hope the Minister sees that listing the koala is imperative. In the meantime, contact us, support our work, and as always I look forward to hearing from you. With the new website you will be able to blog to me directly and I am really looking forward to that.

Talk soon, Deborah

P.S. Keep writing to Minister Burke and say you want the koala protected. It helps.