Save Queensland National Parks

27/01/2026

26/01/2026

The intent of World Heritage National Park status is to preserve species, ecosystems and cultural values into perpetuity. I'm not convinced that current conservation legislation (NCA, EPBC Act) are sufficient to enact this intent.

This is what Google AI had to say about the legal provisions that enable the culling of native wildlife within a World Heritage Listed National Park (below):

The legal authorisation for Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS) rangers to destroy dingoes on K'gari is derived from state legislation and specific management strategies, while federal oversight remains limited due to the dingo's current listing status.

1. Queensland State Legislation

The primary legal basis for ranger actions within the national park is the Nature Conservation Act 1992 (NCA).

Definition as Native Wildlife: Under the NCA, dingoes (wongari) are defined as "native wildlife" and are protected within the boundaries of a national park. Section 17 (The Cardinal Principle): This section dictates that national parks be managed for the preservation of their natural condition. However, the government interprets its "duty of care" to public safety as an equally compelling obligation.

Authorised Taking of Wildlife: While Section 88 of the NCA generally prohibits the killing of protected wildlife, rangers are authorized under the Act to "take" (including euthanize) animals that pose an unacceptable risk to public safety.

Management Framework: The specific operational authority for the 2026 actions is the K’gari (Fraser Island) Dingo Conservation and Risk Management Strategy. This strategy allows for the humane euthanasia of "high-risk" dingoes that have displayed aggressive behavior or been involved in attacks.

2. Commonwealth Protection (EPBC Act)

K'gari is a World Heritage-listed site protected by the federal Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act).

Protection of World Heritage Values: The EPBC Act protects the "values" for which a site was listed. While dingoes are part of the island's ecosystem, they are not currently listed as a "threatened species" or a specific "matter of national environmental significance" under the Act.

Limitation of Federal Authority: Because the dingo is not a federally listed threatened species, the EPBC Act does not provide an automatic prohibition against state-managed culling or euthanasia for public safety reasons.

Action Requirements: Federal approval is typically only required for "actions" likely to have a significant impact on World Heritage values. The targeted euthanasia of individual high-risk animals is generally managed at the state level without triggering federal intervention.

Summary of Legal Conflict (2026)
The January 2026 euthanasia of 10 dingoes has highlighted a legal and procedural tension. Traditional owners have noted that while rangers have the authority to manage high-risk animals, the Nature Conservation Act also aims for the involvement of First Nations peoples in management. The Butchulla people are considering legal action on the grounds of lack of consultation before the 2026 "cull" began.

Thoughts, counterarguments, alternative interpretations of relevant legislation? Pls feel free to share your view

26/01/2026

'K'gari wouldn't be K'gari without dingoes' — so where do humans fit in? | ABC Australia (24 Jul 2023)

K'gari has suffered a spike in dingo attacks — what is behind it and what can we humans do to avoid them?The K'gari dingo population has lived on the island ...

20/12/2025

Queensland’s protected area network has grown by more than 90,000 hectares with the declaration of two new nature refuges – Watson River Nature Refuge on Cape York Peninsula and Urannah Nature Refuge in central Queensland.

20/12/2025

University of Queensland Biodiversity Research Group has created a comprehensive database detailing freshwater species on Australian islands. They identified 102 frog species and 95 freshwater fish…

20/12/2025

When did you last see a Christmas beetle?

20/12/2025

20/12/2025

🐨🌿 Seeing a koala in the wild is very special🌿🐨

If you’re lucky enough to spot a koala, watch quietly and give it space. Never approach, touch, or surround the tree it’s in. If a koala is on the ground, stand back (at least 10 m) and let it move on safely.

How to spot koalas:
• Look high in eucalyptus trees
• Listen for calls, particularly during breeding season
• Check for signs like tree scratches or koala s**t on the ground
• Use binoculars and stay on tracks
• Keep pets away

If you are worried about a koala’s safety or health, contact a rescue group immediately.

And if you spot a koala in the Gympie Region, please record the sighting in Wildwatch Gympie - every record helps.

04/12/2025

The Queensland government's purchase of Vergemont Station last year led to months of uncertainty for miners with tenures inside the former cattle station, which is larger than the Australian Capital Territory.

07/08/2025

Butterfly of the Month: July 2025
Caper Gull (Cepora perimale)
The Caper Gull is a striking butterfly with a wingspan of 43mm for both male and female. It belongs to the family of the Whites and Yellows (Pieridae). As the family name suggests, both colours are dominant, and there is minimal difference between the genders.
The upper wing side is white with a hint of grey at the base of each wing. A wide black outer margin contains a series of white spots.
The underside of the forewing, like on the upper side, carries white as its main colour with a large dark band along the outer margin, again enclosing spots of which one to two are yellow to orange. This band extends in a narrower version along the upper margin (costa).
Standing out is the hindwing on the underside of the butterfly, dominated by its yellow colour which varies in strength and intensity, and again bordered on the outer margin with a wide dark band that encloses one to three yellow or orange flecks.
The dry season variety of our Caper Gull surprises with a lovely warm brown dominating the hindwing as can be seen in our collage.
Cepora perimale starts its life cycle with a spindle-shaped ribbed white egg which turns orange within a short time. The emerging hairy larva is green and adorned with the tiniest of spots. If on a leaf, the subsequent pup again turns out to be of green colour, but may show brown if, for instance, is located on a branchlet.
In Brisbane the female butterfly choses misc. Capparis species including C. arborea as the larval host plant for her offspring. Vine thickets, woodlands and open (eucalypt) forests are the preferred habitat type for the Caper Gull.
Images:
CM - Cliff Meyer; KW - Ken Walker CC BY-NC-SA 4.0; MA - Margaret Alcorn CC BY NC 4.0; PC - Peter Chew

07/08/2025

BRISBANE, Thursday 07 August 2025 — New figures from the Queensland Government show deforestation in Queensland is the worst in the nation and worsening under the current national environment law,…

06/03/2025

: The Wilderness Society has launched legal proceedings against Australia’s Environment Minister for failing to make recovery plans that would give threatened wildlife a better chance at survival.

We’re alleging in the Federal Court, through our lawyers Environmental Justice Australia, that successive Australian environment ministers have failed their legal duties to create recovery plans that would give threatened wildlife a better chance at surviving extinction.

Recovery plans can make an important difference for a species, by making sure its habitat is protected, and by helping secure funding needed to support its survival. We say the law is clear—it is the environment minister’s job to make recovery plans for threatened species that need them.

But hundreds of Australia’s most threatened plants, animals and ecosystems simply don’t have recovery plans. Over many years, successive environment ministers have failed to make them, or let them expire.

That is why we’re going to court—to give threatened wildlife like endangered black cockatoos, ghost bats and greater gliders a fighting chance.

👉 Find out more: www.wilderness.org.au/neglected-nature