Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2024L01747:reg:4:p11
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2024L01747
Segment Type: reg
Provision Reference: reg 4 (pt 11/80)
Character Range: 33605–36696

to support the commentary and actions in this plan, including on: feral cat ecology, distribution and abundance; impacts on environmental, social and cultural values; current and emerging management practices; and, research priorities. There are cross-references throughout this plan to the relevant supporting evidence and key references in the background document.

     2.4 Consultation to inform development of this threat abatement plan

Engagement with the national Feral Cat Taskforce and First Nations organisations and rangers

Development of this plan has been informed by 2 early engagement efforts.

One involved discussions with the national Feral Cat Taskforce, which has a membership drawn from Commonwealth, state and territory government conservation and pest animal management agencies, animal welfare organisations, researchers and other stakeholders. The focus of this engagement was on the findings of the review of the previous threat abatement plan, advances in cat management options, evidence of cat impacts based on recent studies and the key themes to be addressed in this threat abatement plan.

The second early engagement focus was with First Nations ranger groups and organisations across the country. This occurred between July and September 2022 and involved virtual and face-to-face interviews, and online surveys, with people from 100 groups and organisations, and an additional 10 organisations that work very closely with First Nations partners (Conservation Management Pty Ltd 2022; Territory Natural Resource Management 2022). Many interviews occurred specifically at women's fora, to obtain diversity of voice. This early engagement sought to understand: whether First Nations land managers considered cats a threat to Country; what cat management was already in place; what factors constrain more effective management; what could be achieved with additional support; and, the preferred form of such additional support. Summaries of this engagement are available in Appendix 7.

This engagement explicitly addresses section 271(3)(e) of the EPBC Act, that stipulates that, in making a threat abatement plan, 'regard must be had to … the role and interests of indigenous people in the conservation of Australia's biodiversity'. It sought to provide a longer, tailored and culturally appropriate approach to enable First Nations' contributions to the plan and to help consider opportunities for First Nations' involvement in the plan's implementation.

Statutory public consultation

As required by section 275 of the EPBC Act, a 3-month statutory public consultation period was conducted between 7 September and 11 December 2023. The opportunity to provide feedback was widely advertised and the department received more than 1,600 responses through both the online consultation hub and by email, as well as a large volume of related correspondence. The common themes and technical information provided in this feedback were thoroughly considered in finalising this threat abatement plan. Some feedback provided ideas about how best to deliver on the