Koala Woman Says

This electorate covers the City of Redland and includes North Stradbroke Island which has been nominated as a potential “island ark” for Queensland’s Koalas. This is wrong on two counts: the Koalas here lack genetic diversity, and anyway, what happens when two-thirds of the island is burnt as happened in the January 2014 bushfire and again in the spring of 2019? On the mainland, this electorate covers most of the “Koala Coast” which has been a focus of research and conservation efforts since the early 1990s.

There were 4750 records up until 2000, and about 150 since then. Point Halloran at Victoria Point was a place you could always see Koalas, there are still a few hanging on. There are still a few at Birkdale, Capalaba and Cleveland, these Koalas are mostly hanging on in thin reserves bordering people’s backyards where they face the constant threat of dog attack. Vehicle mortality is another threat, less than 20% of Koalas survive being hit by a vehicle. In 2005 Redlands Council estimated there were 3000 Koalas, in 2010 this had officially dropped to 1300 even though a phone-in survey reported only 100 sightings. The population continues to decline even though there have been Queensland Government “protections” in place since 1996 when there were an estimated 4,050 Koalas. One quarter of all koala hospital admissions come from this electorate. Why? Rampant development with an attendant increase in habitat loss, disease, dog attacks, road upgrades, increased traffic and so on.

Unless numbers are increased to sustainable levels the “Koala Coast” will be relegated to history.

Will he Act or Axe?