$1.35M to Implement National Wild Dog Action Plan

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$1.35M to Implement National Wild Dog Action Plan

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.

“Someone to provide additional support to roll out some of the activities,” he said. “Those activities include maintaining that national governance and keeping those national committees and groups together so we continue to get the input from stakeholders into the direction of wild dog control. “We will also be looking at improving and developing training for pest animal controllers or wild dog controllers. “We will also continue to develop our landholder extension and training program. “They are just some of the issues we are looking at.”
The National Wild Dog Action Plan was drafted in 2013. “It is a high level document and it is basically looking at identifying and keeping stakeholders firmly involved and entrenched in the decision making when it comes to state regulations, wild dog management plans and ensuring the tools we are currently using will be available and used more effectively going forward,” he said. Mr Mifsud said the plan was also used to influence government policy and funding.

“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

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