WESTERN Victoria MP, Bev McArthur said the State Government’s kangaroo harvesting quotas have been significantly reduced for 2025, exacerbating the escalating overpopulation crisis in Western Victoria.


Peter Riddle, a professional kangaroo harvester with 10 years of experience, was allocated just 50 tags for the first quarter of 2025.


In Parliament, Ms McArthur said it was “barely enough to cover one and a half nights of work”.


“Yet those same farms are overrun with thousands of kangaroos,” she said.


Mr Riddle, who works across eight properties in Western Victoria Region, has criticised the current survey methodology used by the Department of Energy, Environment, and Climate Action’s (DEECA) to estimate kangaroo populations.


According to professional kangaroo harvester Mr Riddle, he believed the population estimate of 261,000 kangaroos in Barwon South West was inaccurate and did not reflect the reality on the ground.


“Peter believes the estimate you rely on to calculate the quota is completely inaccurate,” Mrs McArthur said.


“The methodology of counting kangaroos at dawn and dusk is simply wrong.


“Peter, who has likely spent more time studying these animals than anyone else in Victoria, argues that kangaroos hide during the day and only come out after dark.


“How can dawn or dusk counts capture that?


““he solution is simple: improve the survey methodology and increase the quotas for professional harvesters.”