Push for motorists to pay higher registration fees, to fund wildlife volunteers

Victorian motorists would be slugged more for car registrations under a wild proposal aimed at raising funds for emergency animal care.

Motorists would pay $2 extra on their car registrations under the controversial plan. Picture: Visit Victoria

Victorian motorists would pay an extra $2 on their car registration bill under a controversial new plan to help fund emergency wildlife care.

The Victorian parliament has received a new petition calling on the government to implement another road levy with all proceeds given to volunteer wildlife carers.

Advocates said the levy would allow rescuers to access a “more consistent and secure grant program”.

Supporters believe the move could rake in more than $10m based on the figure that in 2023 there were more than 5,390,000 motor vehicles registered in Victoria.

Currently, wildlife grants are often capped at $3000, which rescuers say is “barely enough to pay for food and medicine to care for injured and orphaned animals”.

Picture: David Caird

Rhonda Gibbard launched the petition after seeing wildlife volunteers respond to a kangaroo that was struck by a car outside her house.

“They don’t do it for any money. They just come out and do it no matter what’s going on in their lives,” she told the Herald Sun.

Ms Gibbard said she hoped the money would be put into a grants pool that made it easier for rescuers to access funds.

“I know we’re going to get a bit of pushback. People are going to say, why should another charge be added to our registrations when it’s not our responsibility,” she said.

“I just think it’s really important that people understand that volunteers give a lot of their time and energy and mental health, and they shouldn’t have do it out of their own pocket.”

The petition has been sponsored by Animal Justice MP Georgie Purcell, who has called on her 200,000 Instagram followers to sign it.

For a petition to be debated by the parliament, it must receive more than 10,000 signatures.

Animal Justice Party MP Georgie Purcell has called for Victorians to get behind the petition. Picture: David Crosling

Ms Purcell said it was a worthwhile cause that most Victorian road users would get behind.

“Almost everyone that makes up Victoria’s wildlife emergency and rescue response community is a volunteer,” she said.

“Nobody is paying them to perform this lifesaving work that we as a community expect, and it is certainly taking a toll. We are seeing people leave the sector at alarming rates because it simply is not possible to continue this work as though it is a second full time but unpaid job.

“This wouldn’t solve everything and ideally, we would like to see the sector professionalised with permanent paid positions. In the interim, a levy attached to car registration will alleviate the burden of things like equipment and mileage.”

The government was contacted for comment.

Originally published as Push for motorists to pay higher registration fees, to fund wildlife volunteers