Dingoes—Pest classification
594. Hon Amanda Dornto theMinister for Agriculture and Food:
I refer the minister to the classification of dingoes in the Biosecurity and Agriculture Management Act 2007 and the continued listing of dingoes as declared pests in WA.
(1) Will the minister acknowledge the ecological and cultural significance of dingoes and commit to reviewing their pest classification, in line with emerging scientific consensus and the legislative approach taken in other states?
(2) When will the Western Australian Wild Dog Action Plan 2016–2021 be formally reviewed?
Hon Jackie Jarvis replied:
I thank the honourable member for some notice of the question.
(1) The state government promotes a balanced approach to wild dog and dingo management in Western Australia. It acknowledges that dingoes have significant cultural value to First Nations people, and in many regions dingoes are conserved for cultural and ecological regions. Under the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016 (BC act) dingoes are a protected native species. Wild dogs, inclusive of dingoes, are also a declared pest under section 22(2) of the Biosecurity and Agriculture Management Act 2007 (BAM act). The BC act exempts people who undertake declared pest management under the BAM act from requiring a licence under the Biodiversity Conservation Regulations 2018 to take or disturb a dingo. These two legislative instruments together provide for the appropriate protection and control of dingoes in WA.
(2) The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development is currently reviewing the Western Australian Wild Dog Action Plan and has sought input from a broad range of stakeholders, including conservation and Indigenous groups as part of this process.
