In late April, the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water commissioned an independent expert review of its Wild Horse Rehoming Program following media commentary regarding potential misadministration of the program in Kosciusko National Park.
The report was received on 18 June 2024 and contains 4 key recommendations. The department accepts all recommendations in principle.
The report is available, redacted to preserve the privacy of the department's staff. A summary of the recommendations and the department's response is provided below.
| Recommendation 1: Reconfirm the Program Intent and adjust the SOP and Guidelines to reflect NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service’s (NPWS) statutory authority | The National Parks and Wildlife Service will immediately commence reviewing and adjusting the Domestication (Rehoming) Guidelines and its Rehoming Standard Operating Procedure to align with the statutory functions of NPWS and recognising ownership of horses is transferred to rehomers when they leave Kosciuszko National Park. |
| Recommendation 2: Clarify the role of NPWS and their relationship with other Government Agencies |
NPWS will consult with other relevant Government entities regarding roles and relationships to strengthen communication and exchange of information between agencies. |
| Recommendation 3: Improve the application process | NPWS will revisit and consider improvements to its rehoming application process. |
| Recommendation 4: Formalise and improve the end-to-end processes supporting the Program | NPWS will commence implementation of recommendation 4 once recommendations 1 – 3 are completed. |
Revised rehoming guidelines and procedures will be reissued in around 4 weeks, at which point the Rehoming Program will recommence.