This is an update to the matter of the kangaroos at Werrington Park we have been pursuing.

Discussions have occurred with representatives of Western Sydney University (WSU) as to the future of the mob of kangaroos which (including their ancestors) have been a resident part of the environmental and social fabric of the property Werrington Park back as far as the 1950s.

Representatives of WSU said they have not come up with a definitive plan but there is an intention to have development on the site as part of a major precinct plan for the area including sites not part of the WSU’s ownership. However, the representatives said preservation of the kangaroos on the site will form part of the plan and discussions are taking place with scientists and the government to that end.

We have been invited to participate in further discussions along the way. How it can be that the area of of foraging and habitat for kangaroos can be sustained while areas are subjected to development is not clear to us and is a worry.

Meanwhile, a third of the area that has been foraging and habitat for the kangaroos has been sold and is in the hands of Lend Lease. That party has a Development Application lodged with Penrith City Council as 16 Chapman St Werrington and intensive housing development is the proposal. No consideration has been given to the kangaroos and only miniscule consideration of flora protection on site is proposed by Lend Lease. We lodged our objection to this parlous situation with Penrith City Council and the Commonwealth Government and we await the outcome of our protestations.