NSW Liberal leader Mark Speakman publicly backs end to controversial Brumby Bill

NSW Opposition Leader Mark Speakman has publicly backed a Bill to repeal controversial protections for brumbies in Kosciuszko National Park introduced by former Nationals leader and deputy premier John Barilaro. On Thursday, Mr Speakman said the Liberals “will not block” a private members Bill by independent Wagga Wagga MP Joe McGirr, which seeks to repeal the 2018 Kosciuszko Wild Horse Heritage Act, also known as the Brumby Bill. “We will not oppose the Bill when it comes to the floor of parliament,” Mr Speakman said. “As environment minister, I saw the extraordinary damage that feral horses do in the Kosciuszko National Park. “It is one of the most important natural environments we have in this country, and we have to preserve it. That means this heritage Bill needs to go.” Mr Speakman said there was “no logical reason” to continue legally mandating feral horse populations, which is a key feature of Mr Barilaro’s controversial Bill. The Liberal leader made clear the party’s position was “not a vote on methods of culling”. “You’ve already got aerial culling under this heritage Bill,” he said. “It’s not a referendum or a vote on the number of horses that should remain in the park. “It’s a vote on whether you should have special legislation that applies to no other national park in NSW that mandates a particular number of feral horses. “This is one of our most important national parks. It has to be protected. It has to be preserved, and that’s why we won’t oppose the Bill when it comes to parliament.” Under the current Bill, the NSW government is legally mandated to reduce the population of wild horses in certain sections of the park to 3000 until June 30, 2027. If passed, Mr McGirr’s bill would see that plan phased out after a transition period, with a May report finding the population could already be as low as 1500. Brumby Bill a ‘cultural battle’ Invasive Species Council indigenous ambassador and Wiradjuri man, Richard Swain, said repealing of the Brumby Bill was a “cultural battle” for the whole country. “There’s probably not a square inch of Australia that’s had a good minute in the last 230 years,” he said. “Hopefully it’s a new direction. It was always a cultural battle, and the fact that we’ve won the social license on this issue is huge. “It matters, and it really matters for the entire continent, that we could win this cultural battle and start on a more connected way to move forward, a more respectful way for Australia to move forward.” Mr Swain said the Brumby Bill had “been a disaster” and would take intervention in some areas for the soil to recover. “The Snowy Mountains, that country didn’t evolve with any hard-hoofed animals,” he said. “For us to do the right thing, we have to make the decision to control them (brumbies)”. Invasive Species Council CEO Jack Gough said support had shifted from the brumbies to “overwhelmingly back our native wildlife and landscapes”. “I think it actually tells us a story that we can feel proud of, that increasingly people want to see a wildlife revival in Australia,” he said. Asked if there was an appetite to reduce the mandated number of horses in the park, Mr Gough said the current mandate allowed for “too many”. “We’re seeing huge numbers of horses last week when I was up there in those retention zones – you don’t go far to see big mobs of 25 to 40 horses,” he said. “They’re still trashing, trampling that place, cutting up those wetlands and the peat bogs. That needs to stop. “I think the next discussion needs to be: how does the government and the broader parliament and the public back in a continued reduction in those horses. “Because we know it’s possible. We know that it can be done safely, professionally, effectively, humanely. “What we need now is this ridiculous law to disappear that protects a feral animal over native wildlife in a national park.”