National Wild Dog Action Plan
The Federal Government has committed $1.35 million for the National Wild Dog Action Plan to be implemented over the next two years. The plan is a national strategy that aims to get better co-ordination between stakeholders working on wild dog control across the country. National wild dog management facilitator, Greg Mifsud, said part of the funding would go towards employing an action plan implementation officer.
“In my discussions with Minister Joyce last week, the fact that he has got a plan, he can look at the objectives, he can see how additional funding will be utilised, gives him much greater confidence that any funding, such as the money that has just been put up through the drought funding, will actually be delivered on the ground and get effective outcomes for stakeholders,” he said.
“The action plan gives a bit of commitment around how those funds could be utilised and how landholders would be able to access them and deliver them on-ground outcomes in the long term.” Jim McKenzie, a grazier in south-west Queensland, is involved with the National Wild Dog Action Plan Implementation Committee. He welcomed the funding announcement but hoped funding would keep coming. “We hope it doesn’t go away. We hope this is not a one-off and it is ongoing this sort of attention and money that is coming,” Mr McKenzie said. “This gives us a great chance to get out there and do better baiting programs and do better trapping programs. “It is all gathering momentum to actually help us get ahead of the dog problem.”
Orignially posted on ABC Rural
Lydia Burton