The committee will investigate the impacts of the hard-hoofed animals on the fragile alpine environment in Victoria’s High Country and NSW’s Kosciuszko National Park. State governments have faced criticism from environmental advocates and the former Morrison government for their failure to control the invasive species.
It will also consider the federal government’s responsibility to protect nationally significant environmental assets and its powers to override state governments if they fail to deliver on the requirements under the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act.
“Managing feral horse populations is a difficult and often emotionally charged issue,” Pocock said.
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“We are already grappling with chronic biodiversity loss and species extinction. It’s really important that we face this challenge head-on,in a constructive,considered way that prioritises the long-term ecological health of these ecosystems.”
The act grants extensive powers to federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek and makes her responsible for the protection ofheritage-listed places such as the Australian Alps.
Plibersek announced on Wednesday that she had killed off Clive Palmer’s controversial coal project. It is the first federal refusal of a coal project because of unacceptable potential damage to sensitive coastal wetlands and the Great Barrier Reef.