Chinese pandas Xing Qiu and Yi Lan unexpected winners from Jim Chalmers’ 2025-26 federal budget
The furry creatures arrived in Australia in December and will enjoy a $15k lifestyle funded by the Commonwealth at their Adelaide Zoo home.
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A duo of cuddly Chinese creatures have turned out to be the surprise winners from Labor’s 2025-26 federal budget.
Budget papers show the Commonwealth will provide $3.8m across five years from 2024-25 and an additional $3.8m from 2029-30 to 2033-34 in funding for the giant pandas at Adelaide Zoo – an allowance of about $15,000 per week.
The panda pair, Xing Qiu and Yi Lan, are on loan from China under a 10-year cooperative conservation agreement.
Both made their Australian debuts in January and reside in the Bamboo Forest in Adelaide Zoo.
Xing Qiu is a male panda born in 2020 and Yi Lan is a female born in 2021. They were offered by Chinese Premier Li Qiang during a visit to the Adelaide Zoo in June 2024.
Xing Qiu, which means “star autumn”, and Yi Lan, meaning “idly blissful”, hail from panda bases in Chengdu and Ya’an before their move to South Australia.
The pair’s predecessors, Wang Wang and Fu Ni, lived in Australia for 15 years before departing last year without producing offspring.
Wang Wang and Fu Ni were a major drawcard for visitors and attracted about 150,000 people to Adelaide Zoo within their first year of arrival.
This year’s debutants are predicted to have similar star power as they settle into their new home.
The funding for the giant pandas comes alongside a suite of budget measures announced by the Labor government to attract voters, including marginal tax cuts, electricity and Medicare aid and HECS cuts.
Originally published as Chinese pandas Xing Qiu and Yi Lan unexpected winners from Jim Chalmers’ 2025-26 federal budget
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