Current e-Petitions for the Legislative Council

Save Our Little Penguins

Eligibility : Residents of Western Australia Only

To the President and Members of the Legislative Council of the Parliament of Western Australia in Parliament assembled. We the undersigned ...

Express our grave concern regarding the alarming decline of the Little Penguin population on Penguin Island and note that insufficient resources are being allocated to environmental research and preservation, placing the colony at serious risk of local extinction.
We note, key factors contributing to the penguins' decline, as identified by Murdoch University researchers, include:
1. Climate change and marine heatwaves affect food availability and habitat quality.
2. Penguins dying from hyperthermia due to overheating.
3. Watercraft injuries, up to 25% of mortalities between 2007 and 2019 were attributed to collisions.
4. Unrestricted visitor access to Penguin Island when the daily maximum under 35 degrees centigrade, resulting in the disturbance nesting and moulting penguins.
We note the outdated management plans for the Shoalwater Islands Marine Park (which is seven years old) and Penguin Island Management Plan (which is 22 years old) have not been revised despite years of reports on the penguins' decline.
We believe the failure to act has negatively impacted on the penguin colony.
We also note the failure to deliver the promised Penguin Discovery Centre and request the establishment of the Penguin Discovery facility on the mainland to enhance community education, support conservation efforts, and promote sustainable tourism and economic development.
We believe the Little Penguins on Penguin Island urgently deserve a comprehensive and properly resourced Recovery Plan
We urgently request that the Legislative Council call on the Government to take immediate action to reverse this decline.
Given the crisis we are facing, we also urge the Legislative Council to conduct a public inquiry into the issues, ensuring that the local community is fully informed and that effective action is taken to save Rockingham’s Little Penguins for future generations.

And your petitioners as in duty bound, will ever pray.