❓ A WA parliamentary question addresses the government's role in regional biosecurity, specifically concerning feral pests and kangaroos. The government outlines its support for landholders in managing declared pests through funding, strategies, and resources.
AnsweredQoN 1579Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
I refer to the State’s role in biosecurity in the regions, and I ask: (a) What is the Government’s role towards handling pests including feral pigs, wild dogs, and feral cats; (b) When was the State’s designated biosecurity area boundaries drawn and when were they last updated; (c) What consideration has there been to expanding these areas; (d) How often are containment and eradication methods reviewed; (e) What methods are generally used in regard to preventing the spread of feral animals; and (f) To what extent are kangaroos part of biosecurity measures?
AnswerView source ↗
Answered
17 February 2026
Responded by
Minister representing the Minister for Agriculture and Food
Response time
1 days
a) Under the Biosecurity and Agriculture Management Act 2007 (BAM Act) landholders are responsible for the management of declared pests on their lands, including declared widespread and established pests such as feral pigs, wild dogs, and feral cats.
The WA government supports landholders to manage widespread and established declared pests by developing state-wide strategies, providing best practice management information, facilitating community-coordinated action, and, where appropriate, delivering financial support and resources for on-ground activities. This includes:
· an estimated $7.5 million from the Declared Pest Account (funded from declared pest rate and matched from Consolidated Account) being committed to Recognised Biosecurity Groups (RBGs) in 2025-26 to deliver pest management and public awareness activities to help landholders manage declared pests
· a 3-year, $3 million Vertebrate Pest Management Program to manage the impact of feral deer and feral pigs on the environment and WA communities in targeted locations
· $13.4 million investment in the current Wild Dog Action Plan to help manage impacts of wild dogs on WA’s pastoral and agricultural livestock industries.
b-c) It is unsure what the member is referring to.
d) Containment and control methods are reviewed and updated as new technologies are developed, tested and – where required – approved for a pest species.
e) Multiple control methods are used depending on the target pest species.
f) Kangaroos are not declared pests under the BAM Act.
The WA government supports landholders to manage widespread and established declared pests by developing state-wide strategies, providing best practice management information, facilitating community-coordinated action, and, where appropriate, delivering financial support and resources for on-ground activities. This includes:
· an estimated $7.5 million from the Declared Pest Account (funded from declared pest rate and matched from Consolidated Account) being committed to Recognised Biosecurity Groups (RBGs) in 2025-26 to deliver pest management and public awareness activities to help landholders manage declared pests
· a 3-year, $3 million Vertebrate Pest Management Program to manage the impact of feral deer and feral pigs on the environment and WA communities in targeted locations
· $13.4 million investment in the current Wild Dog Action Plan to help manage impacts of wild dogs on WA’s pastoral and agricultural livestock industries.
b-c) It is unsure what the member is referring to.
d) Containment and control methods are reviewed and updated as new technologies are developed, tested and – where required – approved for a pest species.
e) Multiple control methods are used depending on the target pest species.
f) Kangaroos are not declared pests under the BAM Act.
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.