❓ Hon Amanda Dorn questions the Minister for the Environment regarding the corella cull in the Wheatbelt, focusing on the lack of public notice, consideration of non-lethal alternatives, and the oversight role of the DBCA and the Minister.

I refer to the corella cull across the Shires of Victoria Plains, Goomalling, Toodyay, Northam, and York (the Cull), coordinated by Wheatbelt Natural Resources Management Inc (Wheatbelt NRM) in partnership with Cooperative Bulk Handling (CBH) and the Avon Regional Organisation of Councils (AROC), which commenced 21 February 2026. Public notice of the Cull was published by the Shire of Northam on 17 February 2026, four days before the scheduled commencement date. Two of the three corella species targeted in the Cull, Butler’s Corella and Little Corella, are native to Western Australia. The Corellas in the Central Wheatbelt management plan produced by Wheatbelt NRM (July 2025) (the Management Plan) records that shooting does not typically achieve sustained population decline and documents non-lethal management alternatives including deterrents, decoy feeding sites, infrastructure modification, screening, and water and food management. The Management Plan further records that the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA) and the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) will not be undertaking the corella control, they will be managing the process and licenses. RSPCA WA correspondence dated 16 February 2026 confirms that lethal control must be carried out with the highest possible animal welfare standards by suitably trained and competent operators to minimise suffering. No information has been made publicly available regarding the number of birds authorised to be killed, the methods to be used, the statutory approvals obtained, or whether non-lethal alternatives were assessed or trialled prior to the Cull. I ask:(a) what oversight role does the Minister have over DBCA’s management of lethal wildlife control programs authorised under the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016.;(b) what public notice period is required for DBCA-authorised lethal wildlife management programs, and was notice of that period given for the Cull;(c) the Management Plan records that shooting does not typically achieve sustained population decline and documents multiple non-lethal management alternatives. What criteria, if any, must be satisfied regarding non-lethal alternatives before DBCA issues a licence for lethal wildlife control;(d) in particular, in reference to (c), the Management Plan records that in 2023–2024, all five AROC shires used shooting as their sole management method. What evaluation of non-lethal management alternatives, if any, is undertaken before a licence for lethal wildlife control is issued;(e) in reference to (c), in particular:(i) what framework governs that evaluation;(ii) by which entity is the evaluation conducted; and(iii) by which entity is the determination made that lethal control is warranted;(f) what non-lethal management measures, if any, were trialled prior to the application for lethal control licences for the Cull;(g) what oversight role does the Minister have where DBCA issues lethal control licences in the absence of a demonstrated assessment of non-lethal alternatives;(h) will the Minister require that demonstrated assessment of non-lethal alternatives be a condition of any DBCA licence issued for lethal wildlife control programs;(i) if no to (h), why not;(j) the Management Plan records that DBCA is managing the licensing process for the Cull. What conditions, if any, were imposed on licences issued for the Cull? In particular:(i) how many birds are authorised to be taken under licences issued for the Cull;(ii) what methods are authorised under licences issued for the Cull;(iii) what approvals, if any, were obtained from DPIRD and the Department of Health in connection with the Cull, and what oversight role does the Minister have in ensuring those approvals were obtained;(iv) by what criteria is the target number of birds determined for a DBCA-authorised lethal wildlife control program; and(v) what measures are required to prevent the inadvertent taking of non-target species co-located within corella flocks;(k) what oversight mechanisms exist to record and report on the number, species and location of birds culled under DBCA-authorised lethal wildlife management programs; and(l) RSPCA WA has confirmed that lethal wildlife control must be carried out by suitably trained and competent operators to minimise suffering. What mechanisms exist to verify that operators engaged in DBCA-authorised lethal wildlife management programs meet required animal welfare standards?