Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2024L01747:reg:4:p22
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2024L01747
Segment Type: reg
Provision Reference: reg 4 (pt 22/80)
Character Range: 64941–67867

that pet cat management was an important component of managing feral cats.

However, local government respondents stated that cat management was very challenging, because they lacked the resources to manage feral cats adequately, and because managing pet cats was constrained by uneven levels of awareness of cat impacts among the community, uneven levels of support for responsible pet cat ownership practices among the community, and inconsistent and weak legislation and regulation across government jurisdictions that affected the ability of local government to enforce compliance. The survey report found that local governments on mainland Australia and Tasmania spend over $76 million annually on pet and feral cat management.

Refer to section 4.5 of the background document for further information and referenced sources.

     4.5 First Nations cultural values

Feral cats have had, and continue to have, a range of detrimental impacts on First Nations cultural values. Many of the native animal species that have become extinct or severely depleted because of feral cat predation have cultural significance. Many were / are important totemic or food items and distinctive components of Country, and the loss of these species represents a challenge to the ongoing responsibility for the stewardship of Country. The culturally appropriate return to Country of animal species that have become regionally extinct due to feral cat predation, such as through reintroductions to large exclosures, can help restore cultural values and the perceived health and integrity of Country.

In some parts of Australia, there is now a long-standing practice of hunting of feral cats by First Nations people for food and bush medicine. Cats are also kept in many First Nations communities and outstations, for companionship and because they are believed to reduce the numbers of snakes and other problem animals. These pet cats may have significant impacts on local populations of native species and can serve as a recruitment source for the local feral cat population.

The early engagement with First Nations land managers carried out to inform this plan (see section 2.4) showed that most rangers and other land management groups consider that feral cats are a problem, because they damage Country by preying on native species (including threatened species and culturally significant species) and upset the balance of ecosystems ("cats do not belong").

Feral cats are explicitly recognised as a threat to Country in most healthy Country plans or analogous planning documents. However, most plans do not include specific actions that focus on feral cats, most groups do not have targeted feral cat control programs in place, and views on the best methods to achieve feral cat control vary. Overall, trapping and shooting were the most common methods mentioned by groups in southern Australia, whilst managing fire was mentioned