Mackay businesses fund koala facility as miners called to play their part

Local businesses and community groups have dug deep to help fund Mackay’s first koala rehabilitation centre as conservationists call on mining companies to improve the plight of the Aussie icon.

Phillip Kemp, Alison Pighills and Cr Greg Williamson at the unveiling of Fauna Rescue Whitsundays Koala Rehabilitation Facility on April 3, 2025

Local businesses and community groups have dug deep to help fund Mackay’s first koala rehabilitation centre as conservationists call on mining companies to improve the plight of the Aussie icon.

Fauna Rescue Whitsunday in Mount Jukes officially opened on Saturday, April 5 unveiling a new $100,000 facility designed to care for a koala population under threat from habitat loss and road trauma.

The money has helped build a 30m by 30m outdoor enclosure and two indoor rooms, one used for isolating infected animals and the other a treatment room.

The enclosure can care for seven koalas at any one time.

Mackay mayor Greg Williamson was on hand to open the facility and present the group with 200 gum trees to provide food for injured wildlife.

Alison Pighills of Fauna Rescue Whitsundays Koala Rehabilitation Facility heads a team of 120 dedicated volunteers. Photo: Contributed

The facility’s treasurer and coordinator, Alison Pighills said she felt overwhelmed by the support given from the private sector with 18 organisations providing vital donations.

“I have been going round to all of these local businesses begging and they’ve just come up trumps, they’ve been amazing,” she said.

Sadly, requests to Aurizon, Glencore and at first, Dalrymple Coal Terminal, were either rejected or left with no response.

Dalrymple Coal Terminal did come on board to sponsor the facility later.

“I don’t think they want to acknowledge the problem because the majority of koalas that are orphaned or killed or injured happen on the Peak Downs Hwy on the way out to Moranbah, the mining places, also the railway link between Dalrymple Bay and going out to Coppabella,”Ms Pighills said.

A number of conservationist studies have identified mining in the Bowen Basin as a leading culprit of habitat loss in the region, contributing indirectly to the koala death toll on major roads.

In 2023, the CSIRO counted 145 koalas struck and killed along the 51km stretch of the Peak Downs Highway.

That’s more than a third of all koalas admitted to vets each year in South East Queensland.

It has sparked calls from the Queensland Conservation Council for coal companies to do more to stop the displacement of the endangered species.

“If they’re not willing to do that then at least pay for the care that is required because of the fact that koalas are losing habitat,” Dave Copeman, the group’s director said.

“It seems like the very least they can do.”

Three proposed new coal mines expansions have been slated for the region in recent years.

It is something activist group, Koala Not Coal, said had the potential to contribute to 1200 hectares of habitat clearing, driving koalas further to coastal regions.

They said Glencore’s Hail Creek Eastern Margin Expansion Project, 120kms south west of Mackay, was expected to clear 600 hectares alone.

Hail Creek Mine is one of the mines in the Bowen Basin slated for expansion.

Ms Pighills said koalas had been spotted across the region with one sighting at Proserpine Airport.

“We have never seen koalas in that area since 2001, the beginning of the charity,” she said.

“I think there’s a lot of movement happening.”

Glencore declined to comment and Aurizon didn’t respond within the deadline.