Hello Koala lovers,

Every morning, I wake, thinking I will write my Diary today and each day the issues surrounding the protection of the Koala become more complex and harder to articulate because of external forces beyond our control.

What I thought this morning, is, that it is time to stand firm. Firm about what AKF believes and to stand firm that that the only way to protect the Koala is with the Koala Protection Act. And the chances of that politically, at this time, are further away than ever.

Why? Because the political landscape is changing so fast that the Koala and more importantly its habitat is standing in the way of political power. Laws are being rescinded and landscapes being destroyed because of a desire to meet the needs of humans and our expansive nature, including getting ready for an Olympics in 2032 in my part of the world.

Koala groups in Victoria despair at the cruelty being perpetrated on Koalas in landscapes too small to hold them. South Australian bureacrats are envisioning a future where Koalas destroy landscapes in a world that may or may not come true.

Governments are scrambling about their data bases as AKF continues to put more and more pressure on them to ask “as custodians of this species are you really watching what is happening to them”. Or we ask “do you know where those Koalas went” And they do not . They gather data, they respond with “yes, that little “fluff ball” was euthanised after he was taken from the wild”, but their commitment to stopping the trees going down is completely missing.

AKF’s commitment to the wild Koala is more focussed than ever and as we approach the end of the financial year, and your donations come to us; we are grateful. And I promise that I know deep in my heart that the way the world is right now, will not be the world we will see in two years’ time.

The old guard are being exposed for what they are; antiquated and completely out of touch with the people and what is important. The world I want is not here now, but I know the AKF and our team will help shape it. A world of kindness, more respect and with people not afraid to speak out to people in power.

Thank you as always,

Deborah.