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Advocacy Director Jack Gough appointed CEO of the Invasive Species Council

The Invasive Species Council is pleased to announce that Advocacy Director Jack Gough has been appointed Chief Executive Officer, following a competitive recruitment process.

Jack brings a wealth of experience in environmental advocacy, strategic campaigning and policy reform.

Since joining the organisation in 2021, Jack has played a central role in securing landmark wins for nature – including overturning the ban on aerial shooting of feral horses in Kosciuszko National Park, helping deliver over $100 million in funding for bird flu preparedness and securing almost $600 million in increased funding for fire ant eradication. He stepped into the Interim CEO role earlier this year.

Invasive Species Council president David Rickards welcomed Jack’s appointment, highlighting his deep knowledge, strong leadership and commitment to protecting Australia’s natural heritage.

‘Jack brings energy, vision and a deep understanding of the policy and political landscape. He’s been instrumental in advancing our mission and we’re confident he will guide the organisation through its next chapter with purpose and clarity.

‘Invasive species are one of the most urgent threats facing Australia’s wildlife. We need ambitious, strategic advocacy – and Jack is well placed to deliver it. The Board’s decision was unanimous and we are thrilled to have him in the role.’

The Invasive Species Council’s new CEO Jack Gough said he was honoured to be taking on the position and excited by the opportunities ahead.

‘It’s a privilege to lead such a committed and effective team at a time when invasive species are finally being recognised as one of the greatest threats to Australia’s native wildlife and landscapes.

‘Australia’s national identity is tied up with our love of Country and our unique wildlife, but every day we are losing a little more of what makes Australia special.

‘Our protected areas are being trashed, trampled, choked and polluted by a tsunami of weeds and ferals and increased global travel and trade are bringing new invasive threats to our shores.

‘The Invasive Species Council has a clear mission – to defend Australian wildlife by shifting the focus, funding and culture of governments who have under-invested and ignored this issue for too long. 

‘I am so excited to have the opportunity to do my bit to drive this essential mission forward.

‘With a federal election looming, now is the time for all parties to step up with real funding and real solutions to turn the tide on invasive species driven extinctions and spark a wildlife revival.

‘I’d also like to acknowledge our former CEO Andrew Cox for his vision and commitment over his 12 years of leadership and look forward to building on that momentum.’

The Invasive Species Council will undertake a strategic review this year to set a bold course for the future. Jack will work closely with the Board, staff, partners and supporters to shape the next phase of the organisation’s growth and impact.

Media inquiries: (02) 8006 5004

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Your support to protect critically endangered and vulnerable species from extinction is vital. Together, we can ensure governments prioritise action on invasive species and protect our wildlife and iconic places.

The Invasive Species Council was formed in 2002 to seek stronger laws, policies and programs to protect nature from harmful pests, weeds and diseases.

The Invasive Species Council acknowledges the Traditional Custodians throughout Australia and their connections to land and sea. We pay our respect to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.

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About Us

Dear Project Team,

[YOUR PERSONALISED MESSAGE WILL APPEAR HERE.] 

I support the amendment to the Kosciuszko National Park Wild Horse Heritage Management Plan to allow our incredible National Parks staff to use aerial shooting as one method to rapidly reduce feral horse numbers. I want to see feral horse numbers urgently reduced in order to save the national park and our native wildlife that live there.

The current approach is not solving the problem. Feral horse numbers have rapidly increased in Kosciuszko National Park to around 18,000, a 30% jump in just the past 2 years. With the population so high, thousands of feral horses need to be removed annually to reduce numbers and stop our National Park becoming a horse paddock. Aerial shooting, undertaken humanely and safely by professionals using standard protocols, is the only way this can happen.

The government’s own management plan for feral horses states that ‘if undertaken in accordance with best practice, aerial shooting can have the lowest negative animal welfare impacts of all lethal control methods’.

This humane and effective practice is already used across Australia to manage hundreds of thousands of feral animals like horses, deer, pigs, and goats.

Trapping and rehoming of feral horses has been used in Kosciuszko National Park for well over a decade but has consistently failed to reduce the population, has delayed meaningful action and is expensive. There are too many feral horses in the Alps and not enough demand for rehoming for it to be relied upon for the reduction of the population.

Fertility control as a management tool is only effective for a small, geographically isolated, and accessible population of feral horses where the management outcome sought is to maintain the population at its current size. It is not a viable option to reduce the large and growing feral horse population in the vast and rugged terrain of Kosciuszko National Park.

Feral horses are trashing and trampling our sensitive alpine ecosystems and streams, causing the decline and extinction of native animals. The federal government’s Threatened Species Scientific Committee has stated that feral horses ‘may be the crucial factor that causes final extinction’ for 12 alpine species.

I recognise the sad reality that urgent and humane measures are necessary to urgently remove the horses or they will destroy the Snowies and the native wildlife that call the mountains home. I support a healthy national park where native species like the Corroboree Frog and Mountain Pygmy Possum can thrive.

Kind regards,
[Your name]
[Your email address]
[Your postcode]


Dear Project Team,

[YOUR PERSONALISED MESSAGE WILL APPEAR HERE.] 

I support the amendment to the Kosciuszko National Park Wild Horse Heritage Management Plan to allow our incredible National Parks staff to use aerial shooting as one method to rapidly reduce feral horse numbers. I want to see feral horse numbers urgently reduced in order to save the national park and our native wildlife that live there.

The current approach is not solving the problem. Feral horse numbers have rapidly increased in Kosciuszko National Park to around 18,000, a 30% jump in just the past 2 years. With the population so high, thousands of feral horses need to be removed annually to reduce numbers and stop our National Park becoming a horse paddock. Aerial shooting, undertaken humanely and safely by professionals using standard protocols, is the only way this can happen.

The government’s own management plan for feral horses states that ‘if undertaken in accordance with best practice, aerial shooting can have the lowest negative animal welfare impacts of all lethal control methods’.

This humane and effective practice is already used across Australia to manage hundreds of thousands of feral animals like horses, deer, pigs, and goats.

Trapping and rehoming of feral horses has been used in Kosciuszko National Park for well over a decade but has consistently failed to reduce the population, has delayed meaningful action and is expensive. There are too many feral horses in the Alps and not enough demand for rehoming for it to be relied upon for the reduction of the population.

Fertility control as a management tool is only effective for a small, geographically isolated, and accessible population of feral horses where the management outcome sought is to maintain the population at its current size. It is not a viable option to reduce the large and growing feral horse population in the vast and rugged terrain of Kosciuszko National Park.

Feral horses are trashing and trampling our sensitive alpine ecosystems and streams, causing the decline and extinction of native animals. The federal government’s Threatened Species Scientific Committee has stated that feral horses ‘may be the crucial factor that causes final extinction’ for 12 alpine species.

I recognise the sad reality that urgent and humane measures are necessary to urgently remove the horses or they will destroy the Snowies and the native wildlife that call the mountains home. I support a healthy national park where native species like the Corroboree Frog and Mountain Pygmy Possum can thrive.

Kind regards,
[Your name]
[Your email address]
[Your postcode]