In recent years, Blackalls Park and areas around Toronto have been subject to troublesome colonies of flying foxes.

The noise, odour and droppings from the flying foxes on residents’ homes and cars has made life an ordeal for many locals.

Their tales of woe, and those of other Australian communities impacted by flying foxes, were considered at the inquiry, which tabled its report in Canberra on Monday.

The inquiry was initiated last year by federal Member for Hunter, Joel Fitzgibbon, in response to the severe impacts flying fox colonies were having on Hunter communities such as Blackalls Park.

The inquiry confirmed what the Lakes Mail reported last year: Even if Lake Macquarie City Council had the will to implement more active measures to achieve immediate results to the problem caused by the flying foxes at Blackalls Park, its hands are tied by state and federal legislation.

The inquiry heard how a confusing myriad of regulations across three tiers of government had made it difficult for authorities everywhere to effectively deal with problem colonies.

“Unsurprisingly, the committee agreed with experts who said flying foxes play an important role in our ecology as seed dispersers and pollinators for a wide range of native fauna,” Mr Fitzgibbon said.

“But committee members also recognised the extent of the problem for local communities and for local councils. It has put forward a number of recommendations which address the complex and confusing web of regulations which make it so hard to deal with the problem.”

The first recommendation was for the formation of a flying fox working group.

“The key initiative designed to deal with the complexities created by the multiple and overlapping roles of the three tiers of government is the recommendation for the establishment a flying fox working group within the Council of Australian Government (COAG) framework,” Mr Fitzgibbon said.

“While forming another committee is not always my first choice, I hope governments embrace the recommendation. It can only help and it would be of particular assistance to our local councils.”

The tabled report said that because flying foxes were classified as vulnerable, they were protected. 

This meant that local councils and state governments were required to gain approval from the Environment Minister before taking any action that “will have or is likely to have a significant impact” on the populations of flying-foxes.

But the report said referral requirements and the management action approvals process “can be confusing or poorly informed” based on a number of complex factors.

It said local councils had particular needs in handling flying fox problems.

Dr Peggy Eby told the committee:

“In many locations the environment and planning staff of individual councils are expected to manage and resolve often intractable, highly controversial problems, having very limited personal experience with flying foxes, very little guidance from state and federal agencies, poor access to information, and limited financial and human resources.”

The committee responded by noting an “easy-to-access, universal, decision-making tool needs to be developed” to aid councils in navigating the different requirements and sources of information they need to make decisions.

The committee also wants the government to provide additional funding to improve research and data collection on flying foxes.

That would include public education about the mammals, their behaviours, and ecological value, as well as “the known human health risks” associated with flying-foxes.

“Properly understanding a problem is always a first step in any effort to address it,” Mr Fitzgibbon said. “Done well, the recommendation to provide councils with tools for managing flying fox colonies may be useful.”