A mob of over 100 kangaroos in Western Sydney will be culled if a major university gets approval to turn its campus into a mixed-use residential community, local activists are warning.
The eastern grey kangaroos live on the sprawling green space on Western Sydney University's (WSU) Werrington campus, which straddles either side of the Great Western Highway and is surrounded by residential suburbs and a juvenile detention centre.
The university and developer Stockland are proposing to transform 99 hectares of the land into 1,500 homes and 12,000 square metres of commercial and community use.
The submission is being assessed by the NSW state government as a State Assessed Rezoning Proposal.
Zoe Schmidt, who lives in the neighbouring suburb Claremont Meadows, has been advocating for the kangaroos to be relocated to a rural property in Mulgoa, but said the development plans would result in the animals being tranquillised and euthanised.
"We'll lose 130 kangaroos that have lived here for years and years," Ms Schmidt said.
Ms Schmidt, who has worked in animal rescue for 25 years, has been in discussions with the university and Stockland about the plan.
"Stockland and Western Sydney University continue to work closely with qualified experts and key stakeholders to prepare a Kangaroo Management Plan (KMP) for the Werrington campus," a spokesperson for Stockland said.
In 2023, NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service gave advice that management of the kangaroo population "should prioritise animal welfare and consider environmental impacts, public safety and the long-term viability of the population," a spokesperson said.
702 ABC Sydney understands the NPWS advised that retaining suitable green space and wildlife corridors would be preferable to support coexistence with the kangaroo population.
Translocating the kangaroos would require Stockland to apply for a scientific licence from the Biodiversity and Heritage Regulator.
Ms Schmidt said a large number of the kangaroo mob were killed on the Great Western Highway after being pushed out by a residential development. She feared a similar fate if the rest were pushed out of the Werrington Campus.
Elder concerned about impact on totem animal
Dharug elder Jacinta Tobin, who was part of an advisory committee on managing the kangaroos, said they are a totem animal and should not be culled.
Ms Tobin prefers relocating the animals but to take the grass with them so they settle into the new area.
Ms Tobin was also concerned about the loss of open green space increasing the urban heat island in the area, particularly on the campus, which she said was a sacred site.
"I think Penrith needs to be actually be very mindful of getting rid of huge amounts of green corridors because we are creating a hot box," Ms Tobin said.
Council wants more job prospects
Penrith City Council Mayor Todd Carney said any proposal should include a kangaroo management plan that involves either land set aside for the animals to live, or a relocation process.
Cr Carney said council was concerned the proposal was putting in too much residential housing and not enough land for employment opportunities. He said the council's plans for the Kingswood-Werrington area factors in more land for jobs.
"[Council's] proposal is to have around 3,900 jobs along that site. But at the moment, the [WSU] proposal was only talking about 1,000 jobs," Cr Carney said.
"We think that there is more opportunity for jobs growth in that precinct, especially being so close to the hospital, the university, to the TAFE.
The mayor was also concerned WSU may not reinvest the proceeds from the sale into their higher education facilities in the Penrith area.
"They need to make sure they're investing … to give more opportunities for more local kids to go to a university closer to home," Cr Carney said.
NSW Greens MP Sue Higginson said the sale and development of the land was an "unconscionable privatisation of what are essentially public lands".
"The true plan for the much loved stunning mobs of grey kangaroos is to kill them. The community is demanding better," Ms Higginson said.
Transformation will support West's growth: WSU
A spokesperson for WSU said the project would support the long-term growth of Western Sydney in one one the country's fastest-growing regions.
"Through this project, the University is seeking to realise greater community value from land that is no longer required for its core teaching, learning and research activities," the spokesperson said.
"Any proceeds generated will be reinvested in the University's education and research priorities in accordance with its legislative and governance obligations, supporting future generations of students, staff and the broader Western Sydney community."
The WSU proposal includes retaining ownership of the corporate centre on campus as well as a continuing its joint venture with the TAFE NSW construction facility.
The university did not answer specific questions about the management of the kangaroo population.
