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Perth, Feb 9: A whopping 443,115 kangaroos and wallabies were permitted to be killed under New South Wales’ licensing system in 2025—up 75 per cent on the previous year—alongside 35,605 native birds, 6,640 emus (more than triple the previous year’s number) and 286 wombats, according to newly released NSW Government figures.
The data has prompted renewed scrutiny of the state’s wildlife management framework, as Humane World for Animals Australia prepares to give evidence at a NSW Parliamentary Committee inquiry into licences to harm native animals today.
Based on the number of licences issued, the figures equate to an average of one native animal being authorised for killing every minute.
The sharpest increases were recorded among kangaroo species.
Licences to kill eastern grey kangaroos rose from 157,246 in 2023 to 355,462 in 2025, while authorisations for red kangaroos nearly tripled over the same period. Emu licences also surged, exceeding three times the number issued the previous year.
Dozens of native bird species were included under the licensing scheme, with particularly high numbers recorded for little corellas, noisy miners, galahs, sulphur-crested cockatoos and welcome swallows.
Humane World for Animals Australia Wildlife Program Manager Dr Renae Charalambous said the scale of the increase raised serious concerns about oversight and accountability within the system.
“I’m sure that the people of NSW would be appalled to know about the devastating number of native animals that their elected government is allowing to be killed across the state every day and the sheer scale of harm that is inflicted on cherished species like wallabies, little corellas, wombats and rainbow lorikeets.”
She said the organisation does not support the killing of native wildlife under any circumstances but argued that, if licences continue to be issued, the framework must be fundamentally reformed.
“What we’re seeing here is a licencing system that is out of control. We do not condone the killing of native wildlife under any pretense. However, if the NSW Government intends to continue issuing licences to kill native animals, the system must be subject to new, strict and enforceable safeguards including incentivising humane and non-lethal control measures that will significantly reduce the number of animals impacted.”
Humane World for Animals Australia is calling for mandatory shooter competency and species identification testing, proof that non-lethal methods have been tried and exhausted, and clear evidence of damage or risk posed by animals before licences are granted.
The organisation is also pushing for mandatory and timely reporting of kills, public registers disclosing actual kill numbers, science-based population limits for all species, and the full application of animal welfare laws to all wildlife killing.
The NSW Parliamentary Committee inquiry will examine how licences are issued and monitored, as well as compliance and enforcement mechanisms, amid growing public concern over the scale of authorised harm to native wildlife.
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