On 1 August 2025, during estimates hearings, I asked the Director General of the Department of the Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation about monitoring of vegetation clearing and funding for koala conservation in South East Queensland.
You can read my questions and the Director General's responses below or in the official Parliamentary record of proceedings here.
Mr BERKMAN: Director-General, you would be well aware that Queensland persistently has the highest rates of land clearing in the nation. My question is around the state’s compliance in the monitoring of the vegetation management framework. Can you indicate what funding, if any, within the department of environment and heritage has been allocated for that compliance and monitoring work and can you provide a list of what compliance and monitoring actions have been undertaken in the last six months?
Dr ROWAN: A point of order, Mr Deputy Speaker, in relation to a potential imputation: I would like the member to authenticate some aspects of the question he has asked.
Mr POWELL: A point of order, Mr Deputy Speaker: the compliance activities around the Vegetation Management Act—and the member used the term ‘clearing’—all sit within the portfolio of Minister Last. There will be an opportunity next week to put those questions to him.
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER: Yes, that is a valid point of order. Member for Maiwar, it is in a different portfolio area, do you have another question?
Mr BERKMAN: Yes, I have. Again to the director-general: as described in the minister’s charter letter, a new SEQ koala conservation strategy is to be developed this year. Can you advise what funding has been allocated for the development of a new SEQ koala conservation strategy and any associated projects?
Ms O’Callaghan: I know that at DETSI we take our role in koala conservation very seriously. We are currently working through the South East Queensland Koala Conservation Strategy. What I can say is we are committed towards working towards a new strategy to certainly halt the decline of this species. The first stage in developing that strategy is to review the effectiveness of the current strategy and to identify options for new and improved koala conservation measures. Forty-five of the 46 actions under the strategy have been completed and the remaining action is to further review the targets. That will conclude in August this year.
Importantly, as well, we are working hard to raise community awareness, koala research, habitat mapping, habitat restoration, support for our SEQ wildlife hospitals and our koala carer groups and our threat reduction programs are continuing. We are also engaging with our delivery partners and key stakeholders to gather information about the effectiveness of the current strategy. Consultation and engagement with our stakeholders is critical through this if we want to ensure the future of our programs. The broader community will certainly have their say and funding for the strategy will certainly be met within the existing resources.
Mr BERKMAN: So no additional funding for the SEQ koala conservation strategy?
Ms O’Callaghan: I think what we can certainly table today is we do have $15 million attributed to koala policies and programs this financial year. We have an additional $12 million in 2026-27, over $10 million in 2027-28 and over $11 million in 2028-29. I will note that once the koala strategy is complete, any further budget considerations will be a matter for government.