Kean moves to double koala numbers, despite advice

The Environment Minister set a target to double koala numbers despite explicit expert advice to the chief scientist.

Environment Minister Matt Kean set a target to double the koala population despite explicit expert advice to the chief scientist that such a target would lead to “substandard” decisions for the species.

Mr Kean refused repeatedly to say if he was aware of the advice in a heated budget estimates hearing. But he instead threatened Labor that he was happy to campaign at the next election that they didn’t want to double koala numbers.

He said he saw the koala target as a “political marker”, “good politics” and “good policy”, conceding that the government had previously had “some troubles” with koala protection.

Environment Minister Matt Kean.

Internal emails obtained by Labor show an expert advised the deputy chief scientist in July 2020: “Please do not under any circumstances give a number that we shall achieve”, warning that such a target would often result in inappropriate spending on the wrong areas.

In an email on July 21 last year Senior Research Manager Carolyn Hogg from the University of Sydney’s science faculty wrote: “please do not under any circumstances give a number that we shall achieve. I have seen this done with a range of other species across the nation and then management teams find themselves having to make sub-standard decisions for the species to meet an arbitrary number someone made up.”

“If we are pushed to give a koala number it is highly likely we will live to regret it.”

Despite this warning, one week later, the Minister announced his government would double the state-wide koala population, and set a target of “at least another 20,000 koalas”.

Koala joey Humphrey is comforted by mother Willow at Taronga Zoo on March 2. Picture: Lisa Maree Williams

Koala joey Humphrey sits amongst Eucalyptus at Taronga Zoo. Picture: Lisa Maree Williams

The documents also reveal an expert asking the government: “How can you set a target for a population when you have no idea how many there are now?”

Mr Kean was under sustained questioning by upper house Labor MP Penny Sharpe in budget estimates.

Asked why he went ahead despite warnings Mr Kean said “as you know its important to set targets. If you don’t have a target you can’t focus everyone’s energies on achieving it whether its koalas or climate change.”

“I’m not trying to undermine the work of the scientists and I obviously always try to follow the science,” he said.

“But I thought it would be a good political marker - particularly for a government that has had some troubles with moving forward with regard to the protection of koalas.

“I think it’s good policy and good politics to be frank. I’m very happy for you to go to the next election saying you don’t want to double a koala population. I”m very happy to run a campaign against that.”

Shadow environment Minister Kate Washington said the koala population target had been exposed as “a fraud”.

“This announcement had no science behind it. The government’s own experts were dead against it, but the minister pushed ahead and announced it anyway,” Ms Washington said.

“The Berejiklian government has had a terrible track record protecting koalas, and they know the public are furious. Clearly this was a political fix designed to distract everyone from the government’s lack of any real plan.”

Ms Washington said the Minister’s announcement was “meaningless”.

“There’s no science behind it, no plan to achieve it and the government’s experts were opposed,” she said.

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