Council contribute up to $85,000 per year to the Illawarra Wild Deer Management Program, with financial assistance from other government agencies and private landholders. But as of November, money allocated to the program had already run out.

The South East Local Lands Services has estimated a sustainable deer management program for the Illawarra would cost a minimum of $400,000 per year but at present the funds fall short.

Therefore, councillors have called on the government to contribute more funds to the management of the feral deer problem.

Councillors agreed to make a submission to the Senate Inquiry into the Impact of Feral Deer, Pigs and Goats in Australia at Monday night’s council meeting.

The submission will emphasise the extent of the feral deer problem in the Illawarra, the environmental and biosecurity issues of feral deer, especially for farmers, as well as the inadequacy of government funding to manage the feral deer problem in the region.

Lord Mayor Gordon Bradbery sad there was not enough funds being put into the management of feral deer.

“We need about $400,000 invested in culling just to keep the numbers at a steady rate of deer population. That is not even decreasing the population,” he said.

Cr Leigh Colacino said the problem went beyond the need to cull the deer just in rural areas.

“It is a problem that is getting ridiculously out of hand,” he said.

“The issue is, how do we cull within our urban area?

“You can’t expect someone to walk around and shoot a deer in the middle of an urban street. There can’t be a one hundred per cent certainty that person will only take out the deer and not someone standing behind the deer.”

The councillor said the state government needed to provide solutions and wanted to give residents information to explain why deer can’t be effectively culled in Wollongong.

Feral deer have been increasingly populating suburban areas within the Illawarra causing environmental damage, as well as becoming hazards for motorists. 

They have caused more than 100 crashes in the Illawarra since 2005, according to the Invasive Species Council.

Cr Cameron Walters said his main concern was motorists hitting deer.

“I have seen plenty of cars hit them,” he said. “The worst time is on Mount Ousley Road when drivers are playing dodgem with a deer at 80 km/h. It is not fun and it is definitely not safe.

“Council is doing everything within our power to highlight this issue.”

In statistics obtained by Wollongong City Council 338 deer have been killed in total across land owned by council, the state government, corporate and private from July to September of this year.