Queensland Government CTS 21686/16

Department of Agriculture and Fisheries QUEENSlAMD GOVERNMENT

TO: Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries

TITLE Pelorus Island Feral Goat Control Project

ACTION REQUIRED

PRIORITY

CRITICAL DATE ---

For noting

Urgent

30 August 2016

EXPLANATION OF CRITICAL DATE AND ROLE OF SIGNATORY

Urgent request.

RECOMMENDATIONS

That you:

a. Note that the Hinchinbrook Shire Council has been attempting to control feral goats on Pelorus Island to reduce the impacts to the island's ecosystem in accordance with the Hinchinbrook Council Area Pest Management Plan 2013-17.

Agreed I Not Agreed~ Please Discuss

b. Note the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (OAF) provided technical support to Hinchinbrook Shire Council with planning , approvals and implementation of the Pelorus Island feral goat control project as a trial that involved the capture, handling, preparation, transport and release of dingoes from mainland North Queensland on to Pelorus Island and the subsequent non-invasive monitoring of dingoes, goats, wildlife and flora in response to feral goat management.

Agreed I Not Agreed I Noted

c. Note the project involved Hinchinbrook Shire Council , DAF, University of Southern Queensland, and Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority and officers of the Department of National Parks, Sport and Racing.

Agreed I Not Agreed & lease Discuss

d. Note that the research project received a variety of approvals under the Land Protection (Pest and Stock Route Management) Act 2002, Nature Conservation Act 1992, and Animal Care and Protection Act 2001 .

Agreed I Not Agreed I Noted I~ e. Note a Parliamentary Statement has been prepared for the Minister for Agriculture and

Fisheries about the Pelorus Island Project.

Agreed I Not Agreed /& lease Discuss

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The Honourable Leanne Donaldson MP Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries

Member for Bundaberg

Date: .31 I 8'" I I ~

D Add to reading pack (for the Minister's Office use only) .

MINISTER'S COMMENTS ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~-

p ~ 1) .VJ c,vvy>

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73(2)Irrelevant

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KEY ISSUES

1. Pelorus Island is managed by the Hinchinbrook Shire Council and has a unique and fragile

environment that is protected under both state and federal environmental legislation .

2. Hinchinbrook Shire Council is working to preserve native vegetation and wildlife on Pelorus Island.

3. About 300 feral goats are causing widespread environmental destruction on the island. The feral goats are eating native flora , leading to severe overgrazing and erosion .

4. Trapping and shooting has been attempted but with only very limited success because of the

steep, inaccessible terrain and rainforest canopy cover.

5. The Pelorus Island Feral Goat Control Project was developed as a research trial to remove feral goats from the island using dingoes.

6. Hinchinbrook Shire Council worked with OAF, the University of Southern Queensland and Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority in scoping out this trial program including the identification of permits and approvals that would be required .

7. The Pelorus Island Feral Goat Control Project and associated research received a variety of

approvals under the Land Protection (Pest and Stock Route Management) Act 2002, Nature Conservation Act 1992, and Animal Care and Protection Act 2001 .

8. Hinchinbrook Shire Council was approached by Landline to develop a story about the project that was aired on 24 July 2016.

9. After the Landline episode, RSPCA, members of the community and members of parliament on

both sides expressed concerns about the project.

10. The Honourable Dr Stephen Miles MP, Minister for Environment and Heritage Protection has taken action to stop the project through an Interim Conservation Order (ICO) under the Nature Conservation Act 1992. Hinchinbrook Shire Council is to remove the dingoes within 1:4 days to protect the Beach stone-curlew, a bird listed as vulnerable in Queensland .

11. DAF is continuing to support Hinchinbrook Shire Council to remove the dingoes from Pelorus

Island.

12. OAF is encouraging Hinchinbrook Shire Council to maintain communications with the Department of Environment and Heritage Protection on the implementation of the ICO.

13. A Parliamentary Statement has been prepared for the Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries

about the Pelorus Island project.

SENSITIVITY

High

CONSULTATION-INTERNAL STAKEHOLDERS

Internal OAF

CONSULTATION - EXTERNAL STAKEHOLDERS

Nil

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BACKGROUND

1. Hinchinbrook Shire Council has been working to address a feral goat problem on Pelorus Island for a number of years.

2. The management of feral goats on Pelorus Island is consistent with the Hinchinbrook Shire Pest Management Plan 2013-17 that was developed in accordance with the Land Protection (Pest and Stock Route Management) Act 2002.

3. Hinchinbrook Shire Council subsequently proposed a feral goat control project as a research trial using wild dogs to control feral goats on Hinchinbrook Shire Council land known as Pelorus Island after failing to manage goats using other more conventional tools.

4. Hinchinbrook Shire Council consulted with OAF, Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority and the University of Southern Queensland to determine the scope of this trial and the research program .

5. Following a formal briefing of the council , Hinchinbrook pest management officers were approved to proceed with this trial.

6. The necessary permits required were identified and the University of Southern Queensland was to obtain permits for wildlife and flora monitoring in response to the management of the goats. The required permits included:

a. Animal Ethics Approval - this was approved by University of Southern Queensland's Animal Ethics Committee and is required for research monitoring of wildlife on Pelorus and Fantome Islands (approved 20 October 2015: USQ AEC reference number: 15REA012).

b. Scientific Purposes Permit - this was approved by Department of Environment and Heritage Protection and allowed for the monitoring of native plants and wildlife, on council land (approved 25 November 2016: DEHP permit number WISP1615615) .

7. The Hinchinbrook Shire Council , OAF and University of Southern Queensland worked collaboratively to complete an application to ensure the capture, handling, preparation , transport and release of dingoes from mainland North Queensland and on to Pelorus Island and the subsequent non-invasive monitoring of dingoes and goats could be done ethically, and the application (OAF AEC application reference number: CA 2016/05/969) was granted approval on 30 May 2016 including a subsequent amendment approval on 27 June 2016.

8. The University of Southern Queensland then applied to OAF and obtained a declared pest permit No. 066-01-SRC-001 . This was taken to be a OAF Restricted matter Scientific Research Permit under the Biosecurity Act 2014 on 1 July 2016.

9. A similar research/control project was c·arried out on Townshend Island in Shoalwater Bay in 1993 when 3 000 goats were eradicated within three years after dingoes were introduced.

10. The Townshend project also had some negative consequences being :

a. the 16 dogs that were released were not neutered and being both male and female and went on to form a breeding population

b. difficulty in removing the dogs at the end of the project

c. the island was in close proximity to other islands and there was a chance that the dogs could migrate.

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11 . The Pelorus Island project addressed these issues by only releasing neutered male dogs; these dogs are GPS collared and their locations can be monitored remotely.

12. A delayed release 1080 capsule was injected into the dingoes to end the dogs' lives at approximately 600 days if they could not be removed at the end of the project.

13. Island biosecurity risks were considered and the dingoes were thoroughly checked and treated for disease and parasites to ensure nothing was introduced to the island.

14. A fauna and vegetation monitoring program was included in the research project in conjunction with the release of the dingoes to ensure there are no adverse consequences on rare/threatened/endemic species or other potential impacts including the spread of woody weeds or potential re introduction from other islands.

15. Once the Hinchinbrook Shire Council became aware of a small number of species listed under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, they committed to lodge this information with the Federal Government using the self-assessment tool. This was not completed as Hinchinbrook Shire Council were served an ICO directing them to remove the dingoes from Pelorus Island within 14 days.

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES

N/A

RESOURCE IMPLICATIONS

N/A

COMMUNICATIONS STRATEGY

A separate Possible Parliamentary Question has been prepared.

PREVIOUS REF/S

N/A

'ATTACHMENTS

Attachment 1 - Timeline for Pelorus Island Feral Goat Control Project

Business Group Biosecuritv Queensland Author: Recommended: Endorsed:

Name: Salvo Vitelli John Robertson Jim Thompson Position : Manager, Partnering and General Manager, Biosecurity Chief Biosecurity Officer

Engagement Queensland Telephone: 3087 8072 3087 8065 3087 8011 Date: 26/8/2016 29/08/2016 29/08/2016

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