Island ‘roos role’ revealed

Kim Waters
The Defence Department has been caught out trying to wash its hand of responsibility for “out of control” kangaroos tearing up Queenscliff Golf Club’s course, according to club officials.
Greens chairman Kevin Cameron said he was “shocked and surprised” on reading in last week’s Independent that the department denied it had introduced kangaroos to Swan Island, which hosts the course.
He was also angry the department said it had “no current plans” to solve the problem.
Mr Cameron said the department had accepted responsibility for the kangaroos in an official environmental management document for the Bellarine Peninsula.
“The document said a number of native mammals had been released on Swan Island by the army, including a red kangaroo, a red neck wallaby and approximately eight eastern grey kangaroos,” Mr Cameron said.
“It goes on to say…the Defence Department takes full responsibility for their care.
“This is the complete opposite to what they’ve been saying lately.”
“Kangaroos aren’t native to the island and they introduced them here.”
A department spokesperson told the Independent last week that residents had introduced the kangaroos “a number of decades ago”.