Michael McCormack says mouse plague from regional Australia should be ‘rehomed into inner city’
"Australia is dealing with a major plague of mice."
Mouse plague should be diverted to cities to scratch the children of animal rights activists at night, acting prime minister says
VIDEO - 01:15 Australia's deputy PM says mouse plague should be 'rehomed' to inner-city apartments – video
Paul Karp @Paul_Karp Wed 16 Jun 2021 19.26 AEST First published on Wed 16 Jun 2021 18.30 AEST
Mice from regional Australia should be “rehomed” to inner-city suburbs to nibble the feet of animal rights activists and “scratch their children at night”, the country’s acting prime minister, Michael McCormack, has told parliament.
[McCormack said on Wednesday the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority was considering requests for stronger pesticides to kill the mice but “the trouble with that bait is that it also does have secondary influences on native birds and other animals, pets around the house and indeed livestock”.
McCormack said the response to the mouse plague was the “remit of the states” and the NSW government had supported farmers with $150m.
Labor frontbencher Tanya Plibersek described the acting PM’s answer as “very weird” and said the “hostility to people who live in the city actually makes no sense”.