Feral deer cost Australia $91 million a year, report finds
Only South Australia met national control targets, while other states struggled with rising populations.
By Bianca Herrera ·
Australia spends $91 million annually to manage feral deer, and the population is still growing.
A national report on vertebrate pest management, released in October 2026, assessed the performance of state and territory governments between 2020 and 2025. The document, produced by the National Vertebrate Pest Coordinators, found that deer are one of the country's most rapidly increasing invasive pests. They have expanded their territory and increased in numbers, causing $91 million in production losses and management costs each year.
The report card used a traffic light system to grade jurisdictions. South Australia was the only state to receive green marks in all four categories. It launched a statewide eradication plan in 2022. The report confirmed with high confidence that South Australia reduced the abundance, distribution, and environmental impact of deer. No other jurisdiction earned a single green. New South Wales and Tasmania received red marks in all four categories. Queensland and the Australian Capital Territory each received three red marks and one yellow mark.
Advocates say the results reflect years of underfunding. Reece Pianta, advocacy manager for the Invasive Species Council, stated that the report confirms what land managers have observed for years. In May 2025, the council released footage showing feral deer on the Gold Coast. Pianta called deer the next feral pig. He argued that intervention now could contain or reverse the spread, unlike other invasive species that are harder to control.
Prof Euan Ritchie of Deakin University, president of the Australian Mammal Society, described the failure as a result of insufficient investment. He noted the impacts on agriculture, native wildlife, road safety, and culturally significant sites. Ritchie said the report shows governments are failing to invest enough to control the population and its severe effects.
South Australia’s success comes with a price tag. Prof Andrew Lowe, director of the Environment Institute at the University of Adelaide, said the state faces a massive problem with deer. In 2022, an estimate showed deer caused $36 million in damage annually in South Australia. That figure was projected to rise to $241 million by 2031. Lowe said the state’s $4 million eradication program caused a massive decline in deer numbers. However, remaining deer are moving to the edges of urban areas where culling costs more. He estimated functional eradication will require another $10 million over the next 10 years.
Lowe compared the cost of action to the cost of inaction. He stated that without continued spending, the population will rise again. He summarized the financial tradeoff by asking colleagues to do the math on $10 million versus $240 million.
