A member of Australia’s federal parliament, Emma Comer, has weighed in on the debate about the move away from kangaroo leather by major footwear brands.
Ms Comer, who represents the Queensland division of Petrie, said in a statement in the federal parliament in Canberra on August 25, that a manufacturer of leather in her constituency, Packer Leather, deserved the support of politicians in Australia.
She told members of parliament that Packer Leather had been making world-class leather, including from ethically sourced kangaroo skins, since 1891 but was now “under real pressure”.
She attributed the pressure to a “misinformation campaign” that a Washington DC-based campaign group, Center For A Humane Economy, has carried out to convince footwear brands to end their use of kangaroo leather.
“But here is the truth,” Ms Comer continued. “Kangaroo leather is one of the most sustainable types in the world. It comes from a wild population, not factory farming, and prevents the waste of animal products. It is an industry that supports over 3,000 jobs, many of those in the regions. Kangaroo leather is the world’s strongest for its weight, and it is being replaced by synthetics, contributing to the growing problem of plastics in the environment.”
She went on to say that Australia faces “a real issue” with kangaroo over-population, which is affecting biodiversity. Recent reports in Australia have said that, with no natural predators, the kangaroo population has grown to more than 40 million. Overgrazing by the animals is damaging national parks, harming other species and hurting farmers and food supply hard.
The member of parliament for Petrie insisted it was “undeniably better” to cull the kangaroo population in a regulated way, which minimises suffering for the animal, than to let over-population problem persist.
“Packer Leather has been part of our story for generations,” she concluded. “Let’s make sure it continues to be part of our future.”
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