CSIRO report reflects improvements in estimating East Coast koala population

MEMBER for Oxley Michael Kemp says the CSIRO’s National Koala Monitoring Program (NKMP) has revealed a staggering leap in koala numbers that “upends years of alarmism”.

The 2025 report estimates the listed population across NSW, Qld and the ACT is between 398,000 and 569,000, a dramatic rise from the 2024 estimate of just 95,000 to 238,000.

However, the researchers and conservationist groups such as the National Parks Association of NSW (NPA) say the report does not reflect a sudden population boom, but rather improved data collection and broader survey coverage.

“This estimate is substantially greater than previous NKMP estimates, arising from the incorporation of additional data from across a wider area and model improvements,” an update from the NKMP states.

“These changes in the population estimates do not necessarily indicate a change in actual koala populations, but rather reflect more data being available and a refinement of the modelling approach from previous NKMP estimates.”

However, Mr Kemp believes koala populations have been under-reported for decades.

“From fewer than 240,000 to over half a million in just one year. How is that considered extinction?” he said.

“It’s time the Government faced the facts and stopped using fear to justify bad policy.

“This is data from the largest and most sophisticated koala monitoring program in the nation and yet Premier Minns and Minister Sharpe are choosing to let environmental ideology guide their decisions.”

The data indicates koalas inhabit a wider range than previously recorded, with higher densities east of the Great Dividing Range and new populations toward the western edge.

Mr Kemp said the decision to push ahead with the Great Koala National Park (GKNP) shows blatant disregard for evidence and a lack of understanding of sustainable forest management.

“This decision isn’t about protecting koalas. It’s about politics.

“Labor is trading science for city votes.

“Instead of acknowledging the actual data and halting the world’s most sustainable industry with the strictest forestry regulations anywhere, Labor is destroying hundreds of regional jobs and locking up land under the false guise of conservation.”

In a statement, the NPA said there is no evidence of an actual population increase, and “every key driver of decline, whether habitat loss, climate change, vehicle strike or disease, continues unabated”.

“The NSW State of the Environment report confirms that loss of forested and woodland habitat is still accelerating across the state.

“The overall picture for koalas in NSW remains deeply concerning, and the establishment of the Great Koala National Park is a vital step toward ensuring the species’ long-term survival.”

In response to the report, a NSW Government spokesperson said, “This is good news for koalas, but they are still listed as endangered in NSW and remain under threat from habitat loss, climate change, disease, car strike and dog attacks.

“The Great Koala National Park will protect one of the state’s most significant and healthy koala populations.

“But, it’s also home to more than 100 threatened species, which are now protected.”

The technical details of the NKMP’s 2025 population estimate will be published in a peer-reviewed scientific paper, expected late 2025 or early 2026.

By Andrew VIVIAN