In 2023, the Australian Capital Territory government authorised the killing of more than 12,000 eastern grey kangaroos on rural land, and from 2026, this same licencing regime will be extended to include dingoes.  

These licences are granted too easily, with little requirement to prove damage or to try non-lethal alternatives first.  

Now, the ACT Government is considering expanding its licencing framework to include bare-nosed wombats, a native species that has never been subject to licenced killing in the Territory. 

This is deeply concerning. Allowing lethal control of wombats would make a significant shift in wildlife policy and risks entrenching killing as a routine response to human-wildlife conflict. Once introduced, lethal control regimes are extremely difficult to reverse. Without reform, lethal control will remain the default response to human–wildlife conflict, leaving wildlife to suffer and ecosystems to decline.  

Help us call for stronger protections for wildlife in the Australian Capital Territory. 


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