A landmark inquiry led by the Animal Justice Party

The Parliamentary Inquiry into Wildlife Roadstrike in Victoria marks a turning point for how this state responds to one of its most persistent and preventable animal welfare crises.

Every year, countless native animals are killed or injured on Victorian roads. For too long, this suffering has been treated as unavoidable, with the burden falling almost entirely on unpaid wildlife rescuers and carers. The final report of the Inquiry makes clear that wildlife roadstrike is not an accident of nature, but a policy failure that can and must be fixed.

As Chair of the Legislative Council Economy and Infrastructure Committee, Georgie Purcell MP ensured the Inquiry centred animal suffering, community trauma and the lived experience of wildlife rescuers. Like the Pig Welfare Inquiry before it, this Inquiry would not have happened without Animal Justice Party representation in Parliament.

The final report now provides a clear, evidence based blueprint for reform.

A turning point for animals on our roads

The Inquiry is the first of its kind in Victoria to treat wildlife roadstrike as a systemic problem driven by planning decisions, road design, speed management and legal gaps. It recognises wildlife roadstrike as both an animal welfare crisis and a serious road safety issue for motorists.

The Committee heard overwhelming evidence that incidents are increasing, data is fragmented, and the current response model is unsustainable. Wildlife rescuers described burnout, financial hardship and unsafe working conditions, while motorists reported trauma, injury and vehicle damage following collisions.

The report is unequivocal. Without intervention, the situation will continue to deteriorate.

Stronger laws and an obligation to help

One of the Inquiry’s most significant findings is that Victorian law does not require motorists to stop or report when they strike wildlife.

To address this, the Committee recommends amending the Road Safety Act 1986 to require drivers to stop and render assistance where it is safe to do so. In most cases, this would mean reporting the incident to wildlife rescue rather than attempting risky roadside interventions.

To support this reform, the Inquiry also calls for the creation of a single, statewide wildlife roadstrike reporting number. This service would be integrated with existing emergency and wildlife rescue systems and widely promoted so drivers know exactly what to do after a collision.

These changes would end the unacceptable practice of leaving injured animals on roadsides to suffer and die.

Funding and professionalising wildlife rescue

The Inquiry is blunt in its assessment of Victoria’s current wildlife rescue system.

It finds that wildlife roadstrike response relies almost entirely on unpaid volunteers and that this model is no longer sustainable. Rescuers incur significant personal costs, face serious roadside dangers and experience profound emotional strain.

To address this, the Committee recommends recurrent funding and reimbursements for wildlife rescuers and carers, alongside the development of a program to professionalise and properly support the sector.

It also recommends the introduction of a voluntary wildlife contribution option through annual vehicle registration, with funds dedicated directly to wildlife rescue and shelters. Importantly, the Inquiry stresses that the governance of this system must be designed by the wildlife rescue sector itself.

For the first time, the report acknowledges that compassion alone cannot sustain a system carrying such an immense public responsibility.

Fixing the data gap to drive action

A recurring theme throughout the Inquiry is the absence of reliable, centralised data.

Currently, information on wildlife roadstrike is scattered across wildlife organisations, insurers, councils, police and individual carers. This fragmentation results in serious under reporting and undermines effective decision making.

The Committee recommends the establishment of a centralised, publicly accessible wildlife roadstrike database to serve as a single source of truth. This data would inform a comprehensive Wildlife Roadstrike Strategy, enabling targeted investment in crossings, fencing and other mitigation measures at verified hotspots.

This approach moves Victoria away from ad hoc responses and towards evidence driven solutions.

Planning laws that put wildlife first

The Inquiry is scathing about planning frameworks that treat wildlife protection as optional.

Rapid urban expansion, particularly in peri urban areas, has destroyed habitat, land locked wildlife and forced animals into traffic. The Committee finds that wildlife protection is consistently given low priority in development decisions, with devastating consequences.

To address this, the report recommends mandatory wildlife sensitive planning measures in all new housing and infrastructure projects. These include biodiversity sensitive urban design guidelines, mapped wildlife corridors, expanded buffer zones and compulsory environmental impact assessments that explicitly address roadstrike risk.

It also calls for amendments to the Planning and Environment Act 1987 to ensure wildlife protection mechanisms are embedded in every planning scheme.

These reforms would require developers to design for wildlife safety from the outset, rather than leaving volunteers to manage the fallout.

Climate, infrastructure and speed

The Inquiry recognises climate change as a structural driver of wildlife roadstrike. Drought, heatwaves, floods and bushfires are pushing animals towards roads in search of food and water, increasing collision risks.

The Committee recommends updating the Fauna Sensitive Road Design Guidelines and making them mandatory in all development documentation. It also highlights the role of excessive speed, particularly during dawn and dusk, and recommends examining variable speed limits in high risk zones supported by enforcement.

The report further cautions against continued investment in virtual fencing technologies that have failed to demonstrate effectiveness in rigorous Australian trials. Instead, it points to international evidence supporting wildlife crossing structures and exclusion fencing, recommending a program of major crossings beginning with pilot sites in high risk corridors.

AJP’s leadership and next steps

As with the Pig Welfare Inquiry, none of this progress would have occurred without the Animal Justice Party holding the balance of power and Georgie Purcell’s leadership as Committee Chair.

The Victorian Government now has six months to respond to the Inquiry’s recommendations. This creates a critical advocacy window.

AJP will campaign for full implementation of the report, including mandatory assistance obligations, proper funding and professionalisation of wildlife rescue, a centralised data system, wildlife safe planning laws and a comprehensive Wildlife Roadstrike Strategy backed by real investment.

Together, we can turn these recommendations into real protections for native animals and safer roads for all Victorians.