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Gayndah bats are State's responsibility

Responsibility for resolving the dreadful situation caused by the bat colony in Gayndah now should rest with the State Government and they should start acting immediately. It has taken so long for the State Government Department responsible - DERM - to act that the problem has grown to be far too big for the Council to be expected to handle without State Government assistance. 

Had DERM done the common sense thing and issued the Council a permit to move on the first few bats that roosted in the town 10 months ago the problem would not have ever been as large as it now so obviously is for the Gayndah community. 

It is ludicrous that DERM now are insisting the Council wait another four weeks before they can do anything to shift the bats. It is the 10 months of inaction on the part of the State Government that has allowed the problem to become so large and now the State Government needs to take responsibility for the solution. 

Because the bat colony has grown so big over the last ten months it is going to require sustained and drastic action to remove the bats from the town area and the State Government should be making resources and people available to achieve that outcome. 

It is not acceptable for DERM to issue a permit to the Council and apply so many restrictive conditions that make it impossible to achieve any real outcome. 

The State Labor Government have allowed this problem to get totally out of control through their own lack of common sense and now they should take responsibility for moving the bats away from the Gayndah town area.