❓ Hon Lynn MacLaren questions the Minister for Environment regarding the protection of genetically pure dingoes in WA, particularly in light of their potential classification as a distinct species and the WA wild dog action plan. The Minister's response highlights the difficulties in identifying purebred dingoes and the complexities of their conservation.
AnsweredQoN 1294Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
DINGOES
1294. Hon LYNN MacLAREN to the
minister representing the Minister for Environment:
(1) Is the
minister aware that in April 2014 research published in the Journal of Zoology found that
genetically pure dingoes are a distinct species all of their own, separate from
dogs and wolves, which led to the scientific community classifying the dingo as
a distinct Australian species, Canis dingo?
(2) Will Canis
dingo be included on the single threatened species list between the Western
Australian and commonwealth governments that was announced yesterday?
(3) How will the
minister ensure that the Canis dingo is protected from the government's
WA wild dog action plan?
(4) What is the current population
of purebred dingoes in Western Australia?
1294. Hon LYNN MacLAREN to the
minister representing the Minister for Environment:
(1) Is the
minister aware that in April 2014 research published in the Journal of Zoology found that
genetically pure dingoes are a distinct species all of their own, separate from
dogs and wolves, which led to the scientific community classifying the dingo as
a distinct Australian species, Canis dingo?
(2) Will Canis
dingo be included on the single threatened species list between the Western
Australian and commonwealth governments that was announced yesterday?
(3) How will the
minister ensure that the Canis dingo is protected from the government's
WA wild dog action plan?
(4) What is the current population
of purebred dingoes in Western Australia?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for some notice of the question.
(1) The dingo has
always been considered a distinct taxon at subspecies level. Raising the dingo
to full species level does not affect its status under the Wildlife
Conservation Act 1950.
(2) It is
unlikely that the dingo would be listed as a threatened species due to the
difficulty in determining purebred dingos in the wild, and hence the lack of
reliable information on the status of purebred dingos in Australia. The dingo
is also generally considered to be an introduced species and thus might not be
considered eligible for listing as a threatened species. As this is a
multijurisdiction species, this would also be a matter for consideration by the
commonwealth government, which I understand has previously declined to list the
dingo as threatened under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity
Conservation Act 1999.
(3) It is
impractical to protect purebred dingos from the government's WA wild
dog action plan due to the inability to distinguish these animals from animals
cross-bred with domestic dogs, and their sympatric nature. It is considered
unlikely that purebred dingos occur in areas with high wild dog numbers where
the action plan will be implemented. It is also considered that the greater
threat to the dingo is hybridisation with domestic dogs, and this is a matter
which cannot be regulated.
(4) The current
population of purebred dingos in Western Australia is unknown. Purebred dingos
may still exist in small pockets or isolated areas of the state, but
determination of this would require genetic analysis of individual animals.
(1) The dingo has
always been considered a distinct taxon at subspecies level. Raising the dingo
to full species level does not affect its status under the Wildlife
Conservation Act 1950.
(2) It is
unlikely that the dingo would be listed as a threatened species due to the
difficulty in determining purebred dingos in the wild, and hence the lack of
reliable information on the status of purebred dingos in Australia. The dingo
is also generally considered to be an introduced species and thus might not be
considered eligible for listing as a threatened species. As this is a
multijurisdiction species, this would also be a matter for consideration by the
commonwealth government, which I understand has previously declined to list the
dingo as threatened under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity
Conservation Act 1999.
(3) It is
impractical to protect purebred dingos from the government's WA wild
dog action plan due to the inability to distinguish these animals from animals
cross-bred with domestic dogs, and their sympatric nature. It is considered
unlikely that purebred dingos occur in areas with high wild dog numbers where
the action plan will be implemented. It is also considered that the greater
threat to the dingo is hybridisation with domestic dogs, and this is a matter
which cannot be regulated.
(4) The current
population of purebred dingos in Western Australia is unknown. Purebred dingos
may still exist in small pockets or isolated areas of the state, but
determination of this would require genetic analysis of individual animals.
Explore WA Government Data
Search the full archive in the free dashboard, or query programmatically via API.
Explore more
Government Gazette
Appointments, regulatory notices, planning changes.
Hansard
Debates, questions, speeches and sentiment.
Tabled Papers
Reports and documents tabled in Parliament.
Committees
Committee profiles and recent reports.
Regulations
Subsidiary legislation with filters and summaries.
Bills
Proposed laws and parliamentary progress.
Acts
Current WA legislation and summaries.
Explanatory Memoranda
Bills with EMs (text/PDF) available.
Members
MP profiles, party breakdown and rankings.
Pollie Rankings
Data-driven rankings across 19 categories.
Amendment Chains
Track how schemes and regulations evolve over time.