On the road — Sunshine Coast
I have visited the Sunshine Coast! Noosa National Park used to house hundreds of Koalas; today it is rumoured there are as few as five left. This is a region where Koalas could still be saved, but we need an honest commitment from our political leaders to see that happen. The Member for Fairfax Clive Palmer is not contesting the upcoming election. I hope that the newly elected Member for Fairfax will be committed to supporting the Koala.
The Sunshine Coast is a tourist magnet – so why is there so little support from the local politicians to protect the regions Koalas? AKF-funded research shows that the Koala is worth around $3 billion in tourist dollars annually to Australia, and that 75 per cent of inbound tourists hope to see a Koala while visiting Australia. Will these tourists keep coming if the Koala has gone extinct?