Victoria currently is experiencing an outbreak of Avian Influenza or ‘Bird Flu’. This disease, which is distantly related to the influenza viruses that infect people, can be deadly to birds. In order to stop it from spreading, all poultry on an infected farm will be culled. So far, hundreds of thousands of chickens have been killed. There are obvious animal welfare concerns as well serious economic and psychological impacts on the farmers. Unfortunately, there may be worse to come. Having lived…
Good news that the Government has placed legislation for the establishment of two new environmental agencies before the House. The Federal Environmental Protection Agency will be an independent body with expanded and wide-ranging compliance and enforcement powers. It contains substantial penalties for non-compliance, with companies liable to fines of up to 725,500,000 for serious offences. The second Environmental Information Agency will archive environmental information and provide…
Dingoes are extinct on the Peninsula. They are endangered across most of Australia and have been listed as a threatened species under the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988. It is an offence under the Wildlife Act 1975 to take or kill threatened wildlife without an authorisation to do so. But there is a loophole. Wild dogs are not protected and can be destroyed at will, and there is a widespread belief that most dingoes are cross-breeds and therefore 'wild dogs'. Since it is impossible to…
