19/05/2026
We love Georgie😭💚
Many of you have contacted my office to alert me to the planned brumby slaughter currently approaching in New South Wales.
As someone who has had horses her entire life, and also an Animal Justice Party representative, I recognise that brumbies are sentient animals worthy of compassion and care.
The impacts of killing these animals and their herd instincts is particularly distressing – knowing how much these animals rely on each other for comfort, support and safety – and the fact that foals are at risk of losing their mothers that they are dependent on.
As a wildlife and environmental activist, I also understand the ecological impacts that wild horses can have while competing with native species for natural resources.
However, while I don’t deny this truth, it is another example of the government picking and choosing which forms of environmental damage they want to address.
That’s why we support a proposed solution that recognises both truths – where no matter the jurisdiction, governments should fund safe, humane and effective non-lethal alternatives.
In Victoria, we have been calling for a trial of immunocontraceptives programs that are not only kind – but bring down population numbers in the long term – something that shooting programs do not do.
We know these programs work, and have been successfully trialled in free-roaming horse populations overseas. Yet governments across our country continue to ignore the science and evidence – choosing to opt for the cruel, dangerous and ineffective status quo.
Separately, we have consistently called for an expansion to brumby rehoming programs, so that horses can live the entirety of their lives without the risk of rogue and secretive shooting programs. Many of the sanctuaries and individuals who undertake this work are in my electorate – and I have seen firsthand what they are able to achieve if given the support to do so by the government.
The currently proposed aerial and ground shooting as methods of “control” are not only unspeakably cruel, but the data shows it is an ineffective way to reduce populations long-term. Animals are often missed in aerial culls, leading to unsuccessful operations that allow populations to re-establish and waste taxpayer money.
I have spoken in opposition to Victorian shooting programs in parliament a number of times – and have always condemned killing plans here. But unfortunately, as a Victorian Member of Parliament, I have no influence over plans by the New South Wales government or decisions made in another jurisdiction.
My Animal Justice Party colleague in New South Wales, Emma Hurst, has been active in helping brumbies, including running an inquiry which exposed many of the false claims surrounding the push for aerial shooting. Having reached out to her team, I know she is working behind the scenes and will have more to say on this soon.
Brumbies, like other introduced species, are simply responding to an environment they did not choose to be in, and we have a responsibility to find humane solutions for them (just like the gorgeous one I am pictured with here).
