Act or Axe is an initiative of the Australian Koala Foundation to assess our elected Federal Members of Parliament (MPs) on where they stand on the protection of the Koala and it's habitat.
With an Australian Federal election called for September 2013, it is now time to ask each and every candidate “Will you support a Koala Protection Act”. A letter will be sent to all sitting members and potential candidates. If they say YES – they will be given a Koala Claw and if they say NO, they will be given an Axe. All candidates in the federal elections in 2007 and 2010 were asked five important questions and were awarded one 'claw' for each correct answer or an 'axe' for failing to answer at all.
The questions we asked were;
1. Are you prepared to support the listing of the koala as Vulnerable under the EPBC Act?
2. Would you support Koala friendly housing estates, road building and forestry management in your electorate?
3. Will you act to save the remaining native vegetation in your electorate?
4. Do you support the shires in your electorate protecting koala habitat through management plans and protection policy?
5. Do you value the significance of Koalas as a native icon?
These are the results from the 2010 election.
100% of the Liberal MPs scored 3 4.2% of Labour MPs scored 5 'claws' 100% of Greens MPs scored 5 'claws'
'claws' or less
These questions are still relevant except Question 1, because the Koala is now listed as Vulnerable under the EPBC Act. Labor (Democrat) Minister Tony Burke did so on May 31st, 2012 and since then the AKF has grave fears that there is to be a relaxation of the guidelines for the protection of Koala habitat. Many fear a new conservative Government (Liberal (Republican))may diminish the environmental laws even further.
Whether they do or not, is now irrelevant to AKF because we are tired of having to jump hoops for what should be simple; the protection of the Koala and its habitat.
Like the Bald Eagle Act, our Koala Protection Act will be simple and it will have to be tabled in a new Parliament (probably early 2014) and then lobbied by you – the Koala Army.
HOW DID YOUR MP SCORE?
We need our politicians to protect the biodiversity of Australia