General News
23 December, 2024
Too many birds of a feather wreak havoc
At a time of year when attention is traditionally focused on partridges in pear trees, state MP Emma Kealy is shining the spotlight on a very different type of bird.
At a time of year when attention is traditionally focused on partridges in pear trees, state MP Emma Kealy is shining the spotlight on a very different type of bird.
For a third time, the Member for Lowan and deputy leader of the Nationals is pleading with the Victorian Government to take urgent action to control both long-billed and little corellas.
Ms Kealy has long been an advocate of intervention to curb an explosion in corella numbers.
In early 2022 she wrote to Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change Lily D'Ambrosio seeking assistance and was advised that a statewide corella management strategy would be "released shortly".
Ms Kealy said despite the publication of the long-awaited document in April last year, reports of corellas targeting local community infrastructure across her electorate were ongoing.
She said specific concerns centred on the species damaging native trees, swimming pool shade sails and bowling greens; digging holes in sporting grounds, potentially causing player injury; and creating excessive noise, particularly in the early mornings and evenings.
Ms Kealy said Lowan residents, sporting clubs and councils were understandably increasingly frustrated in their efforts to respond to this escalating and expensive problem.
“My constituents are demanding that urgent action is taken,” Ms Kealy said.
“Despite the minister’s assurance that Labor’s corella management strategy will address this ongoing issue, little appears to have changed since its release over 12 months ago.
“Labor needs to act immediately to ensure the disruptive, damaging and expensive impacts of corellas across Lowan are addressed.”
Throughout the Wimmera Mallee, municipalities have developed their own localised corella management plans that include measures such as using gas-powered scareguns or drones as deterrents and manipulating the corellas' natural habitat.
In 2019 Horsham Rural City Council's director of development services Angela Murphy cautioned that there was "no magical silver-bullet solution".
"No management option used by itself is likely to be wholly effective, but integrated with other options, may prove to be effective against an animal that is classed as a ‘learning bird’ and one which has proven to be adaptive and responsive to previous attempts at management," Ms Murphy said.
* Are corellas causing damage in your area? Share your experience with other communities by contacting us at Wimmera Mallee News.
