Bid to protect wildlife on roads

BALLINA MP Tamara Smith called for urgent action on wildlife safety and speed zone reviews when she tabled amendments to the Roads Transport Act during a speech in parliament.

Ms Smith said The Greens have researched and made it a top priority after working alongside Northern Rivers wildlife carers, vets and frontline conservation organisations.

Part of the amendment is aimed at Transport NSW, asking it to plan for impacts when designing new roads and to consider wildlife strikes in speed zone reviews.

It would also require Transport for NSW to collect data on wildlife deaths and injuries on state roads.

“These amendments are critical, an estimated 10 million animals die on Australian roads each year,” Ms Smith said.

“It is chilling to think that this staggering figure likely does not capture the full extent of the problem. Many collisions between vehicles and wildlife aren’t even reported. It’s a silent crisis that demands our urgent attention”.

“The numbers paint a grim picture, but the issue goes beyond just the loss of animal life. When you factor in habitat destruction and climate change, combined with the estimated $7 billion societal cost of road trauma, it’s clear we can no longer afford to ignore the consequences of our road systems on our native wildlife.”

“Potentially, matters could be brought to the Land and Environment Court when failures occur.”