The Southern Brush-tailed Rock-wallaby has been voted in as the mammal emblem of the ACT following a community survey which pitched it against the Eastern Bettong.
The wallaby scored 1,777 votes to the bettong’s 1,737 in the poll conducted for the Legislative Assembly’s Standing Committee on Environment and Transport and City Services.
Chair of the committee, Suzanne Orr MLA said the result was close with the wallaby winning by a margin of just 40 votes.
Ms Orr said that after considering submissions, the information provided by wildlife and conservation experts, and the results of the online survey, the Committee would be making three recommendations in its report.
The first recommendation, she said, would be that the ACT Legislative Assembly adopt a mammal emblem for the Australian Capital Territory.
The second, that given the extremely close result of the public survey, the Assembly consider the possibility of granting mammal emblem status jointly to the Southern Brush-tailed Rock-wallaby and the Eastern Bettong.
Third, that the Committee noted the potential for the adoption of a mammal emblem to lead to the design of a Coat of Arms for the ACT, and the possible redesign of the ACT flag.
“We learned during this inquiry that there is great affection in the ACT community for both the Bettong and the Rock-wallaby,” Ms Orr said.
“Given the incredibly close results of the poll, the committee invites the Assembly to consider the possibility of awarding mammal emblem status to both animals.”
The Committee’s 37-page report can be accessed on its website at this PS News link.
