City Parrots

The Opposition is criticising the Federal Government for cutting the Environmental Stewardship program for farmers by $12 million.

The Coalition promised to spend $50 million over four years paying farmers to preserve box gum woodloods for squirrel gliders and superb parrots on their properties.

The Government is offering 38 million over three years, and says there may be more money later if the program is successful.

Corey Watts, from the Australian Conservation Foundation, says it’s disappointing.

“For the scale of problem that we have facing our wildlife across the country, it’s really not enough,” he says.

“If we’re going to double the area under active conservation, then we are really looking at a tenfold increase in the amount of money that we invest in farmer stewardship.”