A petition with more than 220,000 signatures has been presented to the environment ministers of New South Wales and Victoria, calling for an immediate end to the shooting and slaughter of brumbies in the Australian high country.
The appeal, driven by community groups and online campaigns, underscores the deep divide between those who see brumbies as a cherished part of national heritage and those who view them as a serious threat to fragile alpine environments.
Origins of Brumbies in the High Country
Brumbies, Australia’s free-roaming feral horses, descend from animals brought by early European settlers, beginning with the First Fleet in 1788. Many escaped or were deliberately released, and by the mid-1800s established wild populations in the rugged Australian Alps, including what is now Kosciuszko National Park in NSW and the Alpine National Park in Victoria.
The name “brumby” is thought to come from Sergeant James Brumby, who left horses behind in NSW around 1804, or possibly from an Aboriginal term for wild. These horses became part of rural life, helping with exploration, farming, and stock work, and their numbers grew along-side seasonal grazing in the high country before national parks were declared in the 20th century.
War Service and the Waler Connection
Brumbies played a significant role in Australia’s military history. During the Boer War (1899–1902) and World War I, thousands were rounded up from the high country and other regions to serve as remounts for mounted troops. Australia supplied over 16,000 horses for the Boer War and 121,000 for World War I, with many drawn from feral populations prized for their toughness and endurance.
This wartime contribution linked brumbies closely to the Waler breed — a versatile Australian horse developed from colonial stock, including feral horses. Walers were renowned for their stamina in harsh conditions and became iconic through the Australian Light Horse regiments, with brumby descendants from the Snowy Mountains contributing to their legacy.
The Brumby Heritage Bill and Recent Policy Shifts
The management debate intensified with the 2018 Kosciuszko Wild Horse Heritage Act (commonly called the Brumby Bill), introduced under the NSW Coalition government. It recognised brumbies as having cultural heritage value in Kosciuszko National Park and required their protection in certain areas, moving away from earlier aggressive culling plans toward non-lethal methods such as trapping and rehoming, with a target population of around 3,000 horses by 2027.
In 2025, the NSW Parliament repealed the Act. The repeal bill was introduced by Independent MP Dr Joe McGirr and passed with support from Labor, Liberals, Greens, and others, with opposition from Nationals and the Animal Justice Party. The main aim to protect the native Corroboree Frog and attempt to keep the high country eco system at the expense of the wild horses.
The Last Decade: Coalition and Labor Approaches
Over the past ten years, brumby management has swung between governments:
• Under the NSW Coalition, the 2018 law initially banned aerial culling, but by 2021 ground shooting was permitted as numbers grew.
• The 2023 Labor government under Premier Chris Minns amended the plan to allow aerial shooting, accelerating population reduction.
• In Victoria, Labor governments have maintained aggressive culling programs in parks such as Alpine and Bogong High Plains, with courts rejecting heritage-based challenges in 2020 and 2023. Brumby numbers in Kosciuszko National Park have fallen significantly. Estimates dropped from around 18,800 in 2022 to between roughly 1,600 and 5,700 by 2024–2025, reaching some of the lowest recorded figures in recent years.
Debate continues over the accuracy of earlier counts, with some arguing past surveys overstated numbers, while officials maintain their methods are sound.
Joe McGirr’s Position and Reversal
Wagga Wagga MP Dr Joe McGirr, representing the Wagga electorate where brumby support has been strong, has been criticised for changing his stance. In 2023 he stated that there was a place for brumbies. By 2025, he introduced and supported the repeal of the Heritage Act, describing it as correcting a serious environmental policy error, and backed the change with an 11,300-signature petition.
The Future for Brumbies
With the Heritage Act repealed, brumbies no longer have special legal protection in NSW. Management will continue under an updated Kosciuszko plan, expected by late 2027, with the short-term goal of maintaining numbers around 3,000, though experts anticipate further reductions — potentially to very low levels or zero in sensitive zones — to allow ecosystem recovery.
In Victoria, culling programs are set to continue. Early signs show reduced trampling is helping native plants, streams, and peat bogs begin to recover, though full restoration could take decades. Supporters fear the loss of cultural heritage, while conservationists see the changes as essential for protecting the Alps. The large petition reflects ongoing public concern, but with expanded culling tools now in place, the long-term future of wild brumbies in the high country remains uncertain.
The South West Slopes Times will continue to follow developments in this emotive and evolving story.
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