Member for Wagga Dr Joe McGirr said the NSW Legislative Council’s decision to approve The Kosciuszko Wild Horse Heritage Repeal Bill 2025 was a step to right a wrong made when the original bill was introduced in 2018. Photo: Supplied.
A bill to repeal the Kosciuszko Wild Horse Heritage Act has officially passed the NSW Legislative Assembly.
According to the MP who introduced the bill, Member for Wagga Dr Joe McGirr, it aims to repeal protections granted to feral horses on the Kosciuszko reserve under the existing Kosciuszko Wild Horse Heritage Act in hopes of protecting the national park.
Introduced to parliament in August, the bill received backing from Labor, Liberal, Greens and independent MPs but was opposed by the National Party.
Dr McGirr said he was confident the bill would pass the Legislative Council.
“I think it’s a very important statement by the parliament,” he said.
“It has corrected a wrong; it’s corrected a mistake. I just think there’s an immense sense of relief, actually, that we’ve been able to fix this.
“We’re pleased that it’s passed through the Legislative Assembly. It’s quite a significant, a significant step to have the Legislative Assembly endorse it with the support of the Liberal Party as well as the government, the Crossbench and the Greens.
Many local land councils and invasive species councils supported Dr McGirr’s bill in the lead-up to the 16 October vote, with a petition with more than 11,000 signatures aiding the Member for Wagga Wagga’s stance.
“During today’s debate, we had 16 out of 17 speakers speak in favour of the bill,” he said.
“The majority of Australians simply want the park protected, and they don’t understand why the original legislation was passed.
“It’s a controversial debate on social media, and there’s a lot of feeling, and I understand these strong feelings people have about the horses, but the fact of the matter is, when you look at it calmly and scientifically, people understand that we have to protect the park.”
NSW National Parks Association CEO Gary Dunnett said the decision to repeal the act was long overdue and was a vital one in preserving Kosciuszko National Park.
“This is a long-overdue step which will ensure the recent good work by the National Parks Service to reduce the out-of-control feral horse population can continue,” he said.
“Feral horse numbers in the park are finally trending downward. No-one likes to see animals killed, but this is the tough decision we have to make to protect our wildlife.
“We’re already seeing early signs of ecological recovery – but we will still have over 3000 horses trashing one third of the national park. Now is the time to finish the job.”
The Kosciuszko Wild Horse Heritage Repeal Bill 2025 is set to be put in front of the Legislative Council next week.
Original Article published by Jarryd Rowley on Region Riverina.
