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Historic election win an opportunity for Labor to finally step up for nature

The Invasive Species Council congratulates Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on his election win – and welcomes the return of a strong crossbench committed to action to protect Australian wildlife.

‘With a renewed mandate for progressive reform, Labor now has a clear runway to lead the wildlife revival Australians have been waiting for,’ CEO of the Invasive Species Council Jack Gough said. 

‘Prime Minister Albanese has a fantastic opportunity to reclaim Labor’s proud environment legacy by lifting nature policy and funding out of the shadow of climate policy and boosting investment in practical on-ground work.

‘Australians shouldn’t have to choose between the cost of living and saving native wildlife. They expect the government to do both – and to treat protecting nature as a national responsibility.

‘In fact, the Biodiversity Council’s 2025 survey of community attitudes showed that 86% of Australians are concerned about the decline in native plants and animals in their local area, and 96% believe more action is needed.

‘Invasive species are the number one driver of native animal extinctions in Australia – responsible for more losses than land clearing or climate change. But you can’t legislate your way out of extinction. Nature needs real investment and practical action on the ground. 

‘I look forward to working closely with the new government, and the expanded crossbench of nature champions, to grow the pie for practical, jobs-rich environmental restoration. 

‘Right now Australia lacks a serious plan to halt our extinction crisis or restore our degraded landscapes and that needs to change.

‘Apart from Labor’s modest investment in protected area growth, this was an election campaign where the environment was treated as a footnote to climate change. That doesn’t serve anyone – because climate and nature are not interchangeable.

‘Yes, tackling climate change is essential. But solar panels won’t stop fire ants. Renewables won’t save our native wildlife from invasive predators or weeds that fuel catastrophic bushfires. 

‘We know what works. We’ve seen success with yellow crazy ant eradication in Queensland, feral cat control on Kangaroo Island and containment of fire ants along the east coast. These are shovel-ready programs. What’s missing is the political will and investment to scale them up nationally.

‘Without urgent intervention, Australia risks losing the fight against fire ants – with economic costs projected to reach $2 billion per year – and failing to prevent the arrival of new threats like stony coral disease, which is decimating reefs overseas.

‘This crisis isn’t going away – and it’s something Australians from all walks of life and political persuasions expect action on. 

‘If the Liberal Party wants to win back lost voters, it should become a champion for ambitious, well-funded landscape restoration. Australians are ready for a race to the top on protecting what makes our country so special.

‘We look forward to working with the new Australian Government, Independents and the Opposition over the next 3 years to deliver the urgent, practical action that nature needs.’

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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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]