List of recommendations
Recommendation 1
7.31The Committee recommends that the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, in collaboration with its state and territory counterparts, undertake an impact and population assessment of feral horses at the national level.
Recommendation 2
7.35The Committee recommends that the Minister for Environment and Water list habitat degradation, competition and disease transmission by feral horses as a Key Threatening Process under the Environment Biodiversity and Conservation Act 1999.
Recommendation 3
7.36The Committee recommends that, after the Key Threatening Process is in place, the Minister for the Environment issue a Threat Abatement Plan as soon as is practicable, in order to reduce the threat of feral horses in the Australian Alps.
Recommendation 4
7.39The Committee recommends that in partnership with the states and territory, the Murray-Darling Basin Authority undertake work to measure, monitor and record the quality of Basin water resources in and flowing from the Australian Alps, with particular reference to the impact of feral horses.
Recommendation 5
7.40The Committee recommends that in partnership with the states and territory, the Murray-Darling Basin Authority undertake an immediate assessment of the condition of the catchment of the Hume Reservoir, with particular reference to the impact of feral horses.
Recommendation 6
7.44The Committee recommends that the Australian Government take a lead role to achieve cooperation between state and territory governments in the formulation of management plans for National Heritage listed places, including in the Australian Alps National Heritage place. The Australian Government should establish agreed mechanisms to resolve disputes between jurisdictions to ensure that National Heritage values are being protected.
Recommendation 7
7.46The Committee recommends that the EPBC Regulations, which set out the management principles for National Heritage listed places, be amended to include reference to international obligations.
Recommendation 8
7.49The Committee recommends that the National Heritage provisions of the EPBC Act be amended to include that regard must be given towards Target 6 as adopted in the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.
Recommendation 9
7.51The Committee recommends that the Australian Government commission urgent monitoring to assess the current status of EPBC Act-listed species, ecological communities and migratory species in the Australian Alps.
7.52Further, the Australian Government should work with the NSW, Victorian and ACT governments to urgently implement recovery plans to better protect critically endangered species such as the Stocky Galaxias and Southern Corroboree Frog.
Recommendation 10
7.57The Committee recommends that the Australian Government increase funding to the states and territory, who are the primary land managers of the Australian Alps National Parks and Reserves, to enable them to ensure National Heritage values are upheld and threatened species are protected from extinction.
Recommendation 11
7.60The Committee recommends that the Australian Government expand its partnership with FeralScan to develop a platform for the monitoring and logging of feral horses.
Recommendation 12
7.62The Committee recommends that the NSW Government update the Kosciuszko National Park Wild Horse Heritage Management Plan to allow the use of aerial shooting as one of the available feral horse control methods if deemed appropriate under strict safety, scientific and humane practices.
Recommendation 13
7.66The Committee recommends that the Australian Alps Liaison Committee membership include Indigenous representation, to ensure that Indigenous knowledge and culture is properly considered at each stage of its processes.
Recommendation 14
7.70The Committee recommends that the NSW, Victoria and ACT Governments urgently review the safety of staff working in and around national parks, and work with local law enforcement agencies to ensure that staff are properly protected in their workplaces.