How quotas are set

To ensure sustainable kangaroo populations, the Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research (ARI) recommends that no more than 10% of Victoria’s kangaroo population should be controlled each year across both the Kangaroo Harvesting Program (KHP) and the Authority to Control Wildlife (ATCW) system.

The quota for each harvest zone is set by:

  • using the kangaroo abundance estimates from the most recent kangaroo survey to determine the maximum level of control. In Victoria, we set this at no more than 10% of the population
  • estimating the number of kangaroos that will be controlled through ATCWs and then
  • deducting the estimated ATCWs from the maximum recommended level of take.

The difference between the maximum level of control, and the estimated ATCW levels is assigned to the KHP as quota.

Begining in 2017, we regularly survey Victoria’s kangaroo population and use that information to set annual quotas for the KHP. Information on Victorian kangaroo surveys and population estimates.

2023 quota

The KHP quota for each harvest zone is shown below. More information can be found in the Kangaroo Harvest Quotas for Victoria, 2023 report at the bottom of this page.

Zone2023 maximum quota
Central65,100
Gippsland13,600
North East11,050
Otway15,500
Lower Wimmera41,100
Mallee1,550
Upper Wimmera18,850
TOTAL166,750

Where harvesting can take place

Harvesting can occur in 58 of Victoria’s 79 local government areas, which are grouped into 7 harvest zones across Victoria. These are Central, Gippsland, North East, Lower Wimmera, Mallee, North East, Otway and Upper Wimmera.

The map below shows the location of the harvest zones, while the table shows which local government areas are included in each zone and those where harvesting cannot occur.

Map of Victorian Kangaroo Harvesting Program zones

CentralGippsland North EastOtway
Ballarat Bass Coast Alpine Colac Otway
Brimbank Baw Baw Benalla Corangamite
Hepburn Cardinia Campaspe Golden Plains
Hume Casey Greater Bendigo Greater Geelong
Macedon Ranges East Gippsland Greater Shepparton Hobsons Bay
Melton Latrobe Indigo Moyne
Mitchell Mornington Peninsula Mansfield Surf Coast
Moorabool South Gippsland Moira Warnambool
Mount Alexander Wellington Strathbogie Wyndham
Murrindindi   Towong  
Nillumbik   Wangaratta  
Whittlesea   Wodonga  
Yarra Ranges    
Lower WimmeraMallee Upper Wimmera
Ararat Mildura Buloke
Central Goldfields   Hindmarsh
Gannawarra   Horsham
Glenelg   Swan Hill
Loddon   West Wimmera
Northern Grampians   Yarriambiack
Pyrenees   
Southern Grampians 

The KHP is not permitted to operate in the local government areas listed below. However, kangaroo control may still be undertaken in these areas with an ATCW permit.

Kangaroo Harvest Permit exclusion areas

  • Banyule
  • Bayside
  • Boroondara
  • Darebin
  • Frankston
  • Glen Eira
  • Greater Dandenong
  • Kingston
  • Knox
  • Manningham
  • Maribyrnong
  • Maroondah
  • Melbourne
  • Moonee Valley
  • Monash
  • Port Phillip
  • Stonnington
  • Whitehorse
  • Yarra

Each year ARI prepares Kangaroo Harvest Quotas for Victoria report with recommendations for the following year’s KHP quota. These reports provide information on the science used to calculate quotas.

ARI reports and other information can be found below.

More information

Landholders can apply to the Conservation Regulator for an ATCW permit to control kangaroos. Unlike the KHP, carcasses in the ATCW system cannot be sold.

If the Conservation Regulator is satisfied that control of the wildlife is necessary, an ATCW permit will be issued for a specified period and for a specified number of animals. ATCW permits include strict conditions to ensure wildlife are controlled humanely, as well as the method that must be used to control the wildlife.

To ensure the sustainability of kangaroo populations, we regularly monitor the number of kangaroos taken through both systems and can make adjustments to the program if needed.

This could include reducing the KHP quota or closing zones to harvest altogether.  Any changes to the quota will be update on this webpage and harvesters will be notified.

Commercial harvesting of kangaroos is relatively new in Victoria, beginning in October 2019.

Victoria is committed to ensuring that no more than 10% of our kangaroo population is taken annually. Many other Australian states have harvesting quotas of up to 15-20%.

To sustain our kangaroo population and carefully monitor the impact of harvesting, the Victorian Government has deliberately taken a conservative approach. Our lower harvest quota reflects the cautious approach we are taking as we gain more insight about how Victoria’s kangaroo populations respond to harvesting

Page last updated: 28/12/22