Ms Ley: The answer to the honourable member's question is as follows: (1) Further to the answer to question in writing No. 906 from the 45th parliament (House Hansard, 28 March 2018, page 3224): (a) since expending the $500,000, what funding has the Government: (i) allocated and on what date; and (ii) disbursed and on what date; and (b) on what date did activity under this funding for the eradication of feral cats on Kangaroo Island cease. Program Recipient Project title Project description Funding (ex GST) Date funding allocated Date funding disbursed Project duration National Landcare Program - Threatened Species Recovery Fund Kangaroo Island Land for Wildlife Association Inc. Protecting the Kangaroo Island dunnart with community action Enable Kangaroo Island Land for Wildlife landholders with key dunnart habitat to actively reduce the impacts of feral cats and better manage their properties to improve habitat for the dunnart for the long term. The project will also support landholders, community members, volunteers and school students to increase their awareness and understanding of, and skills in, threatened species conservation through development of property management strategies to control threats including fire, invasive plants, livestock grazing and Phytophthora cinnamoni. $65,000 29/4/2018 7/6/2018 2017-18 to 2018-19 National Landcare Program - Threatened Species Recovery Fund Kangaroo Island Natural Resources Management Board Felixers versus Felis: Innovative engagement of Kangaroo Island landholders in feral cat control activities Engage landholders by assisting them to undertake feral cat control using cage traps and to trial Felixer™ grooming traps on private land. This will provide a vital opportunity to comprehensively field test and improve grooming trap effectiveness under Kangaroo Island conditions, establish a community of practice for feral cat management, and collect data on cat abundance and distribution, and community attitudes to feral cat eradication, in preparation for the onset of landscape-scale eradication of feral cats on the island in 2019. Community control and monitoring activities will be coordinated and supported by a liaison officer who will also be responsible for handling toxic cartridges for the grooming traps. $236,500 5/9/2017 Project funding was provided to the recipient in instalments: 28/3/2018 – $207,500 8/3/2019 – $29,000 2017-18 to 2018-19 National Landcare Program – Regional Land Partnerships Kangaroo Island Natural Resources Management Board Creating a safe haven for the Kangaroo Island Dunnart and other priority threatened species by eradicating feral cats from the Dudley Peninsula Create a permanent safe haven for the endangered Kangaroo Island dunnart and other EPBC-listed species such as the KI echidna and hooded plover by eradicating feral cats from the Dudley Peninsula (DP) on eastern KI. The DP will be isolated from the remainder of KI by a barrier fence to prevent reinvasions. Feral cats will be eradicated by trapping, baiting and hunting, with verification by detector dogs. Threatened species and rodents will be monitored to measure eradication outcomes. There are no recent records of KI dunnarts from eastern KI despite large tracts of suitable habitat. Dunnarts are difficult to find and search effort has been limited so there may be an undetected population. Cat eradication will enable an extant dunnart population to increase, or, if absent from the DP, create a safe haven for a re-introduced population in the future. $2,000,000 1/2/2019 Project funding to date was provided to the recipient in instalments: 2/8/2019 – $211,208 14/10/2019 – $12,847 2019-20 to 2022-23 National Landcare Program – Bushfire Recovery Pest and Weed Management Kangaroo Island Natural Resources Management Board Support to RLP Service Providers for Emergency Pest Mitigation and Habitat Protection (Phase One) Assist the recovery of threatened species and threatened ecological communities in areas impacted by the significant 2019/2020 bushfires through the implementation of priority pest animal, weed control and habitat protection activities on Kangaroo Island. Management interventions will occur in direct fire affected areas and areas of unburnt refuge patches in proximity to fire-affected areas. $200,000 13/1/2020 An initial payment of $50,000 is currently being processed. 2019-2020 (1) (2) Further to the answer to question in writing No. 10 (HouseHansard , 9 September 2019, page 2223): (a) will any of the $1.5 million for Dunnart recovery efforts on Kangaroo Island be expended for feral cat eradication; if so, what is the projected amount. Subject to negotiations with the Kangaroo Island Natural Resources Management Board and in light of the extensive bushfires on the island, the $1.5 million Environment Restoration Fund project is likely to include feral cat management to safe guard any Dunnart populations that survive the fires. (3) Does the Government plan to provide further funding for feral cat eradication; if so: (a) in which months and years; and (b) what amounts. The Government will continue to deliver its $2 million Regional Land Partnerships project 'Creating a safe haven for the Kangaroo Island Dunnart and other priority threatened species by eradicating feral cats from the Dudley Peninsula'. Subject to negotiations with the Kangaroo Island Natural Resources Management Board and in light of the extensive bushfires on the island, the $1.5 million Environment Restoration Fund project is likely to include feral cat management to safe guard any Dunnart populations that survive the fires. As noted in the table in response to Question 1, $200,000 has recently been allocated to the Kangaroo Island Nature Resources Management Board to assist the recovery of threatened species and threatened ecological communities in areas impacted by bushfires on the island. Funding will support emergency intervention activities such as priority pest animal control, which may include feral cat management. This funding is part of the Australian Government's initial investment of $50 million to support immediate work to protect wildlife and longer-term protection and restoration efforts. The $50 million funding package comprises: $25 million to establish an emergency intervention fund to assist the immediate survival of affected animals and plants. $25 million to support wildlife rescue, zoos, and conservation groups with on the ground activities. A panel of experts led by Threatened Species Commissioner Dr Sally Box will be charged with advising the Government on further critical interventions required and developing a strategy to recover animal and plant populations, ensuring their resilience into the future. Funds will be allocated at the local and national level and the Government will coordinate with organisations across Australia to ensure the money goes where it is most needed.