The Foundation has promoted awareness and understanding of rabbit matters through activities including:
'Bilbies not Bunnies'.
Easter Bilby
Regularly supporting the Haigh’s Easter Bilby Weekend held in Rundle Mall, often in conjunction with Rotary’s ACRE and a display - which ‘drew considerable interest from people not usually exposed to information about the ecological and economic problems posed by rabbits’. Readings of Kaye Kessing and Ali Garnett’s Easter Bilby books, and of course a visit by the Easter Bilby, have also been part of the event.
The 2003 Haigh’s Easter Bilby Weekend marked Easter Bilby’s 10th birthday. A twenty year celebration was held at the Adelaide Zoo in 2013.
Rabbiting-On
RFA contributed to a national Rabbiting-On Program developed by the ABC, to mark 150 years since the introduction of European wild rabbits to Victoria.
Ockhams Razor - What is eating Australia?
An article written by Dr R Morrison, Chairman of ARRFA, 1995 – 1998. This important document considers a broad range of issues associated with ecosystems and why we need to remove exotic animals such as rabbits from them. Topics from Ockhams Razor - What is eating Australia? include:
- Estimate of costs of rabbits to Australia - $1billion?
- Other costs not able to be quantified
- Lost species as a result of rabbits
- Lovers of cats and other ferals
- Easter Bilby
- Rights of Ecosystems and inappropriate organisms
- Risk v Hazards
Rabbit Control Guidelines
RFA has contributed to the development of rabbit control guidelines by the Australian Government and by regional Natural Resource Management (NRM) bodies.
Policy Submissions
The Foundation has also been active in policy matters with submissions including:
- Senate Inquiry into Natural Resource Management. A 2008 submission to the Senate Standing Committee on Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport's Inquiry into Natural Resource Management and Conservation Challenges.
- Australia 2020 Summit (Federal Government). A submission to the Rudd Government's Australia 2020 Summit. April 2008.
- Federal Government’s draft Threat Abatement Plan (TAP) for Rabbits. Submission made to the TAP: Competition and land degradation by feral rabbits. June 2007.
- Senate Inquiry addressing the rabbit threat to Australia's national parks & conservation reserves. Submission made to the Senate Environment, Communications, Information Technology and the Arts Committee Inquiry into Australia's national parks, conservation reserves and marine protected areas. February 2006.
- No Species Loss — a biodiversity strategy for South Australia. Submission made to the Department of Environment and Heritage. South Australian Government. 2006.
- Australian Pest Animal Strategy. Submission to the Vertebrate Pests Committee. Natural Resource Management Ministerial Council, Australian Governments. 2006.
- Inquiry into the Impact on Agriculture of Pest Animals. Submission to the House of Representatives, Standing Committee on Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. Australian Government. 2005.
- Proposed Reform of Environmental Legislation, 1998. Submission made by ARRFA to the Senate Environment, Recreation, Communication and the Arts Legislation Committee Inquiry on Reform of Commonwealth Environment Legislation. Senate Committee. 1998.
- Control of Rabbits with Rabbit Calicivirus Disease (RCD) and the Environmental Impacts, 1995. A submission made by ARRFA resulting from an advertisement seeking submissions under the Biological Controls Act. 1995.