The volunteer wildlife rehabilitation sector provides an invaluable service to the community that should be better appreciated, coordinated and supported to ensure it can meet future demands and expectations.
The NSW volunteer wildlife rehabilitation sector strategy outlines our actions to support the wildlife rehabilitation sector. It incorporates actions already funded through the NSW Koala Strategy, augmented by additional funding provided by the Foundation for National Parks and Wildlife through the Environmental Trust.
We published a 3-year report on our achievements to December 2023, celebrating the successes of the volunteer wildlife rehabilitation sector strategy. We have achieved significant support for volunteers and improvements to wildlife rehabilitation through implementation of the strategy's actions.
Following these strong results, the timeframe for the strategy has been extended to complete work already commenced.
Wildlife rehabilitation sector review 2024
While the work of the strategy continues, in 2024 we will be undertaking a new review to continue improving support to the wildlife rehabilitation sector.
This review will examine challenges, identify opportunities and help guide future support for the wildlife rehabilitation and associated veterinary sectors.
It will be led by the Parliamentary Secretary for the Environment, Ms Trish Doyle MP, and will advise the Minister for the Environment, the Hon. Penny Sharpe MLC, of opportunities to improve support to the wildlife rehabilitation sector. We will publish a report on its findings.
Get involved
Stakeholder participation is vital to the success of the review to ensure the next steps are informed by those undertaking this valuable work. There will be a range of options for engagement: complete a survey, attend a roundtable or site visit in the local area as well as providing submissions.
Process for this review
| Date | Action |
|---|---|
| 9 September to 30 November 2024 | Discussion paper public consultation (submissions open) |
| November to March 2025 | Engagement with stakeholders via roundtables and site visits |
| 1 December to 28 February 2025 | Survey open to all members of the rehabilitation sector |
| February to May 2025 | Consideration of submissions, surveys and meetings to collate review report |
| June to September 2025 | Compilation and approval of report |
| October 2025 | Review report provided to Minister for the Environment |
The Review and report into the NSW wildlife rehabilitation sector discussion paper was prepared based on the terms of reference identified for the review. These terms were used to help focus the review on key areas for the sector, by outlining messages already heard to date and posing questions to further collect information on challenges and ideas for the future.
The discussion paper was published on 4 September 2024, and submissions closed on 30 November 2024. A total of 563 public submissions were received. The content of the submissions will inform the review analysis, final report and recommendations to the Minister for the Environment in October 2025.
Please note submissions marked ‘confidential’ and those that raise legal or other concerns such as privacy or potential defamation have not been published. The core issues identified in these submissions will still be taken into account as part of the review and preparation of the final report to the Minister for the Environment.
Copies of the published submissions will be made available here.
A summary paper from the roundtable discussions can be found here. This feedback, along with other information gathered during the review via surveys and submissions, will inform the recommendations to the Minister for the Environment in October 2025.
To facilitate a focused approach for this review, terms of reference have been identified to define key areas of examination and discussion:
1. Challenges for the sector, including future trajectories and risks
What are the challenges facing the wildlife rehabilitation sector in New South Wales? Have these challenges changed over time? Are these challenges on a trajectory of improvement or decline? What are the future issues and risks that the sector is likely to face?
2. Connections within the sector
How are wildlife rehabilitation groups connected to each other? Do they communicate and work together in training and mentoring, and sharing of resources? If not, what benefits could arise from ongoing connection? Are there barriers to this occurring? How could government assist communication and collaboration across the sector including interactions with local veterinary hospitals?
3. Service gaps and duplication
Across the sector, is there coverage across a range of species? What is the focus of each organisation and is this complementary to other organisations? Is there duplication within geographic areas, when diversification could be more beneficial? Where could future investments in wildlife rehabilitation assets be deployed?
4. Involvement of wildlife rehabilitation groups in emergency response or significant wildlife events
Are there other opportunities to formally include wildlife rehabilitators in emergency response? Are there opportunities to better support the sector to respond to significant wildlife related events, such as heat stress in flying foxes?
5. Administrative arrangements and legislative provisions relating to rescue and rehabilitation
Examine current arrangements, including legislation, administration, governance and policy and reporting frameworks for the wildlife rehabilitation and associated veterinary sectors to determine if they continue to meet the needs of the sectors and government and provide a robust framework.
6. Resourcing for the wildlife rehabilitation sector
How is the wildlife rehabilitation sector resourced and what current and future resourcing gaps exist? What opportunities are available to establish novel methods to supplement support and build a sustainable model for the sector?
7. Supporting accredited wildlife hospitals and veterinary practices for their work in treating injured wildlife
How can wildlife hospitals and other veterinary practices be supported in the provision of critical wildlife assessment and treatment services? What are the barriers to this occurring? What approaches might be suitable for resourcing these services? How can the data acquired from veterinary hospitals be integrated into a wildlife rehabilitation data management system?