No action in rabbit eradication report, says Cr Bauer
Rabbits reach reproductive maturity at three months of age, meaning that under favourable conditions one pair of rabbits can become 184 rabbits in 18 months and you don’t need to look far past the Jetty Triangle in Cowes to see that scenario being played out.
YOU’VE no doubt heard the term “breed like rabbits”.
A report to the Bass Coast Shire Council meeting last Wednesday, titled ‘Possible Eradication and Control Options for Rabbits, Feral Cats & Deer in Bass Coast’ puts it succinctly:
“Rabbits reach reproductive maturity at three months of age, meaning that under favourable conditions one pair of rabbits can become 184 rabbits in 18 months.”
And you don’t need to look far past the Jetty Triangle in Cowes to see that scenario being played out before your very eyes with rabbits invading the gardens around the cenotaph and in front of the foreshore area in ever-increasing numbers.
The “unfolding catastrophe”, as Cr Tim O’Brien termed it, has even become something of a tourist attraction as visitors, pulling up in their buses for a bit of R&R before heading out to the penguins at dusk, admire the cute and fluffy bunnies, munching away on the lawns at the end of Thompson Avenue.
Of course, it’s only an indication of what’s going on right across Phillip Island in particular, with no apex predator, and to a lesser extent elsewhere.
The situation prompted Cr Ron Bauer to raise a Notice of Motion at the September 17, 2025, council meeting, initially just about the rabbits on the Island, but expanding into a call for a report on “the possible eradication and population control options regarding rabbits, feral cats and deer in Bass Coast”.
But as Cr Bauer told the council meeting last Wednesday, he wasn’t happy with the result.
“Madam Mayor, fellow councillors and ratepayers watching this meeting. Firstly, I wish to thank the officers for the history lesson on the pests of the shire, especially the rabbits.
“I wish to quote two paragraphs from the report:
“The obligation to control rabbits rests with every land owner and land manager, and is enshrined in legislation. In Victoria, rabbits are classified as established pest animals under the Catchment and Land Protection Act 1994 (CaLP Act). This imposes explicit legal responsibilities on all landholders—whether private, Crown, or public authorities—to control rabbits on their land. Best practice rabbit control requires a systematic and sustained approach, with action coordinated across property boundaries to a regional scale, and
“Council, at its discretion, could elect to play a larger role in supporting other land managers across the shire in a coordinated approach to pest animal management. A targeted and sustained investment in strategic pest animal control, in partnership with local agencies, private landholders, and adjoining municipalities, could yield dividends for generations to come by limiting the damage caused to farm productivity and natural systems.”
“This report does not go far enough,” said Cr Bauer.
“The aim of the motion that I introduced two months ago was to have a report with strategies to deal with the pests, especially the rabbits. There is not one eradication recommendation in this report,” he said.
“I believe the very least we need is to create a task force to deal with the problem. I understand that any remedial action carries some risk of collateral damage but as the saying goes, you can't make an omelette without breaking eggs.
“We not only should support the other stakeholders, but it's our legislated obligation to be proactive in this space. I call on officers to provide councillors with a briefing in February with some effective strategies. Rate payers deserve better. Thank you.”
He moved a motion to that effect and received the support of councillors, almost all of whom had something to say on the matter.
More to follow.
