Ken Henry Champions National Wildlife Rescue Funding as Climate Crisis Intensifies
Former Treasury secretary Ken Henry is spearheading a critical campaign urging the federal government to establish standardized national rules and funding for wildlife rescue and rehabilitation. This initiative comes as Australia faces escalating threats to biodiversity from climate change, bushfires, and floods, with volunteers currently bearing the brunt of response efforts.
Volunteers Overwhelmed as Wildlife Faces Mounting Threats
In the last financial year alone, volunteers responded to more than 320,000 calls for assistance involving sick, injured, or orphaned wildlife. These dedicated individuals conducted nearly 130,000 rescue operations, while veterinarians assessed approximately 51,000 injured animals. The soaring demand is directly linked to climate change and widespread habitat destruction, pushing many species toward a potential point of no return.
Ken Henry, now chair of Wildlife Recovery Australia, emphasized the dire situation. "There's a huge gap at both federal and state level," he stated. "As a consequence of these pressures, more and more animals are getting in harm's way. When they get in harm's way, governments take very little interest. So it is left to volunteers to pick up the pieces and get those animals back into the wild."
Call for Federal Coordination and Budget Allocation
Henry is advocating for the Albanese government to introduce tough new national standards for protecting threatened species during disasters. This proposal, supported by organizations including RSPCA Queensland, seeks to coordinate the currently patchy state and territory wildlife protection efforts at a national level. Key components include standardizing rescue, treatment, and rehabilitation processes, with government funding to cover services such as veterinary care and long-term animal rehabilitation, which are largely volunteer-driven at present.
The push aligns with recent legislative changes, including November's major overhaul of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act. Inspired by businessman Graeme Samuel's 2020 review, these reforms aim to enhance nature protection through new environmental standards and faster project assessments. They also establish a new environmental protection agency, set to commence work in July, with Environment Minister Murray Watt recently opening recruitment for its inaugural leader.
Wildlife Organizations Echo Urgent Need for Support
Lisa Palma, chief executive of Wildlife Victoria, highlighted the national significance of wildlife. "Wildlife is a national asset, yet the responsibility to care for injured animals falls almost entirely on underfunded charities and volunteers," she remarked. Dean Huxley of Western Australian animal rescue group WA Wildlife warned that the volunteer workforce has reached a tipping point. "Government investment is not a luxury item any more, it is essential. Without it there is a real risk that injured wildlife will soon have nowhere to go and that is something the community would not accept if it were widely understood."
Henry pointed out that in states like New South Wales, practising veterinarians are legally obligated to treat injured wildlife without compensation, placing additional strain on the system. "We need to have a good hard look at what's going on here. We need a national approach," he asserted, calling for government leadership amid heightened community awareness driven by the climate crisis and natural disasters.
Budget Deadline and Future Implications
The federal budget, due on 12 May, presents a crucial opportunity for the government to allocate funds toward these proposed wildlife protection measures. Henry and his consortium argue that such investment is vital to reversing Australia's biodiversity decline and ensuring sustainable rescue services. As climate-related disasters become more frequent, the need for a coordinated, federally supported approach to wildlife rescue has never been more urgent, with the future of countless species hanging in the balance.
