Licensed program to kill native animals 'weak' and 'outdated' inquiry told
More than 485,000 native animals were subject to 'licences to harm' in NSW in 2025. (ABC News: Danielle Bonica)
In short:
A parliamentary inquiry has heard 485,000 native animals were legally harmed or killed in NSW last year.
Animal welfare advocates are calling for a major overhaul of the licensing scheme, saying numbers have doubled in two years.
What's next?
The NSW government regulator says it is committed to a "transparent, fair" system.
Animal welfare advocates are demanding a major overhaul of the scheme that provides licences to harm native animals in NSW, telling a parliamentary inquiry the current system is "weak" and "outdated".
The number of native animals approved to be harmed or killed under the licence program has almost doubled in the last two years from 243,078 in 2023 to more than 485,000 last year.
"The problem is not just the numbers, it's how the system operates," Nicola Beynon from Humane World for Animals told the inquiry.
"Licences are intended to be a last resort, yet applicants are generally not required to prove damage, demonstrate that non-lethal methods have been tried, or provide independent evidence to support their claims.
"The licensed killing of native animals in NSW has reached a scale and level of normalisation that demands serious scrutiny.
"[There's] limited transparency, minimal oversight and weak animal welfare safeguards."
Nicola Beynon from Humane World for Animals was highly critical of the licence to harm native animals program. (Supplied: Humane World for Animals)
Under the current scheme the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service issues licences if native animals such as kangaroos, wombats, possums and birds become a threat to human safety or are damaging property and causing economic impacts.
Many licences are issued in postcodes with a strong agricultural base, but they have also been approved for residents living in various parts of Sydney.
The NSW Animal Welfare Committee is exploring the scheme's welfare safeguards, transparency and why a growing number of licences are being issued.
Calls for non-lethal options
Several animal welfare groups told the committee is was too easy to get a permit.
"The default reliance on lethal control, I think that's very embedded in Australian culture unfortunately," said Dr Renae Charalambous from Humane World for Animals.
Galahs, magpies and sulphur-crested cockatoos were among a number of bird species targeted in 2025. (ABC North Queensland: Nathalie Fernbach)
Speakers were asked about alternative control methods and who should foot the bill.
Tara Ward from the Animal Defenders Office told the inquiry more data from licence applicants would help tailor research and control programs.
"Without that kind of information we're never going to get to a point where we can work out what non-lethal methods do work, where, on what species, and in what circumstances,"she said.
"This is where the onus is on the NSW government to really increase its efforts in the research and trial space."
The inquiry was also told the NSW government could cover the cost of professional shooters or additional licence holder training to ensure animals were killed humanely.
New regulator takes charge
Responsibility for managing the scheme is in the process of being transferred to a new state government regulatory body, the Biodiversity and Heritage Regulator.
Its chief regulatory officer, Adam Gilligan, told the inquiry that enforcement of licence conditions could be difficult and dangerous.
"Often those engaged in wildlife control will be shooting in remote areas late at night, and as such it's not possible or reasonable to undertake live inspections of those activities," he said.
"For this reason we place a regulatory emphasis on reporting obligations on licensees, coupled with reporting of breaches by the community to ensure we can have a detailed understanding of impacts.
The licences allow landholders to relocate or kill native animals which have become destructive to property or threaten human safety. (ABC News: Chris Lewis)
"We'll be exploring new methods and systems to improve our understanding of impacts and to improve our ability to improve to enforce compliance with the rules."
Mr Gilligan said many landholders had "considerable capabilities" in wildlife management, and it was important to support them.
"This may include pathways to help landholders access professional wild animal control services and providing them with up-to-date info on the latest research," he said.
"[We want] to contribute to a future system that is transparent, fair, grounded in good science and First Nations cultural learning."