How Your Local Council Can Protect Koalas

Vote_for_Koalas.jpg This toolkit is designed to provide environmental groups and concerned citizens with information on the role local councils play in protecting koalas. It aims to help you secure commitments from local candidates ahead of the 14 September 2024 local council elections, ensuring positive change for koalas. This information will enable you to make an informed choice and hold your local candidates accountable!

How to use this toolkit:

  1. Present the SBKN 2024 Council Election Policy to your local candidates and secure their commitment to koalas ahead of the election - find your local candidates here.
  2. Share candidate responses with your community (and us [email protected]) so everyone knows where candidates stand on koalas and can make an informed choice.
  3. Print, display and share our Vote for Koalas Poster to spread awareness.
  4. Arm yourself with knowledge of local council roles and responsibilities to protect koalas:
  5. Review the video recording of the SBKN Member Webinar on 2024 Local Council Elections: seven actions local councils can take, plus guest speaker Kirsty from Biolink on what it's like to live in a koala friendly area and what protections have been put in place to allow people to thrive alongside koalas and other wildlife. 
  6. Downloadable slides from the webinar: seven actions council can take.
  7. Share this toolkit with your community
  8. Hold elected officials to account after the election!

Council Election Guide Webinar (recorded 7th August 2024)

The webinar covers:

  1. Seven actions council can take to protect koalas:
    1. Comprehensive Koala Plan of Management (CKPoM)
    2. Roads and Vehicle Strike
    3. Support Community and Local Land Holders
    4. Development Application (DA) assessment and Planning Controls
    5. Opt out of the Rural Boundary Clearing Code (RBCC)
    6. Monitoring and Compliance
    7. Advocating to the NSW Government
      SBKN 2024 Council Election Policy Guide and Next Steps
  2. Guest speaker Kirsty Wallis, Koala Ecologist from Biolink, tells us what it's like to live in a koala friendly area and what protections have been put in place to allow people to thrive alongside koalas and other wildlife.

Additional resources:

Note: The Sydney Basin Koala Network does not endorse any specific candidate or party The purpose of this webinar is share information about the powers and responsibilities of local councils that affect koalas, and to equip you with the tools and resources necessary to make an informed decision during the upcoming election.