New government report cards blocked from public release have revealed Australia is making little progress against 2 of its most destructive invasive predators, with feral cat and fox numbers and impacts largely unchanged over the past 5 years.
The findings come as the future of the federal government’s flagship Established Pest Animals and Weeds program hangs in the balance, after ongoing funding was not included in the federal budget. A decision on its future is now needed in the upcoming Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook (MYEFO).
The Invasive Species Council has obtained and released the National Vertebrate Pest Management Report Card for 2026 assessments for feral cats and foxes, prepared by state, territory and federal governments.
The assessments reveal the scale of the challenge facing governments and the need for sustained national investment, with Australia failing to drive down the abundance, distribution or impacts of feral cats and foxes nationally.
Feral cats kill more than 1.5 billion native animals each year and threaten more than 200 nationally listed threatened species, while foxes kill about 300 million native animals each year and threaten at least 76 nationally listed species.
Together, feral cats and foxes are the leading driver of animal extinctions in Australia and have been responsible for the loss of at least 25 native species.
Over the past 5 years, feral cat abundance, distribution and impacts remained largely unchanged nationally, while cat numbers and environmental impacts increased in Tasmania and parts of Queensland.
The picture for foxes is similarly concerning, with their abundance, distribution and impacts largely unchanged nationally and increases reported in parts of Queensland.
‘Feral cats and foxes are 2 of the biggest killers of Australian wildlife, yet after 5 years we have barely shifted the dial,’ Invasive Species Council Advocacy Director Reece Pianta said.
‘Together they kill around 1.8 billion native animals every year. We know the damage they cause, we have effective tools to control them, but these report cards show we are still not operating at anything like the scale required.
‘We are tolerating failure when it comes to some of the biggest threats facing Australian wildlife. These report cards should be a wake-up call that we need to dramatically lift our ambition.
‘That makes it extraordinary that Australia’s flagship national program for tackling established pest animals and weeds has been left without ongoing funding.
‘The Established Pest Animals and Weeds program provides the national leadership and investment needed to tackle threats that do not stop at state borders. Allowing that funding to lapse would take us backwards at exactly the time these report cards show we need to be doing more.
‘The federal government needs to provide certainty in MYEFO and ensure this important national program continues.
‘There are bright spots that show what sustained investment and ambitious programs can achieve.
‘Tasmania has kept foxes out, while intensive feral cat programs on offshore islands are delivering major results, including the eradication of feral cats from Three Hummock Island.
‘On Kangaroo Island, South Australia is pursuing one of the world’s most ambitious feral cat eradication programs, with cat detections falling to their lowest levels during 2024–25.
‘These successes show Australia has the expertise and tools to make a real difference. What is missing is the long-term investment and national ambition needed to deliver those results at scale.
‘This is particularly important because controlling feral cats and foxes is not a one-off job. If control stops or funding disappears, populations can recover and reinvade areas where hard-won gains have been made.
‘States and territories cannot tackle these threats alone. Australia needs a strong national program backed by sustained federal funding to protect our most vulnerable wildlife and expand effective pest control across entire landscapes.
‘We also need governments to set ambitious national targets for where we want to be by 2040 – driving down feral predator impacts across the mainland, protecting wildlife like the eastern quoll and eradicating feral cats and foxes from offshore islands where we know it can be done.
‘The upcoming MYEFO is the opportunity to make sure this work continues. These report cards show very clearly why Australia cannot afford to step backwards.’
The Invasive Species Council is calling on the federal government to continue funding the Established Pest Animals and Weeds program in MYEFO, alongside increased and sustained state and territory investment in landscape-scale feral cat and fox control and eradication programs where feasible.
It is also calling for ambitious national 2040 targets to reduce the impacts of established invasive species and eradicate feral predators from priority offshore islands.
Media inquiries: (02) 8006 5004
Background:
- The National Vertebrate Pest Management Report Card (2026) assessments were developed by the National Vertebrate Pest Coordinators in collaboration with state and territory government agencies, the Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry and the Terrestrial Vertebrate Working Group.
- Feral cats are found across almost all mainland Australia and many offshore islands. They are estimated to kill more than 1.5 billion native animals each year and threaten more than 200 nationally listed threatened species and 37 listed migratory birds.
- Feral cats can also spread toxoplasmosis, which affects wildlife and livestock and can infect people.
- More than 3.5 million hectares were under feral cat control in 2024–25, with more than 1.3 million trap nights targeting cats.
- European foxes occur across about 80% of mainland Australia. Tasmania remains fox free.
- Foxes are estimated to kill about 300 million native animals each year and threaten at least 76 species listed under the EPBC Act.
- Fox predation on lambs and poultry causes estimated economic losses of more than $198 million each year.
- More than 20 million hectares were subject to fox control in 2024–25, with more than 600,000 trap nights targeting foxes.
- The report cards acknowledge that feral cat and fox trend information is not based on consistent or standardised monitoring, with national trends described as fragmented and largely qualitative.
- Both report cards conclude that sustained, coordinated management is essential to reducing the long-term impacts of these invasive predators.
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