Australian Koala Foundation takes aim at political dills with launch of ‘Koala Army’s Guide to Democracy’

Australian Koala Foundation

As we prepare to head to the polls, the Australian Koala Foundation (AKF) has launched The Koala Army’s Guide to Democracy, a satirical cartoon series that aims to teach Gen Z just how important their vote is in saving our national icon, the Koala – and it comes with a side of pickles!

The Koala Army’s Guide to Democracy features 13 lessons on how democracy works, how laws are made and what it will take to get the Koala Protection Act enacted – a revolutionary piece of legislation which will change environmental law forever by proactively protecting Koala habitat.

The Guide’s Don’t vote for a Dill campaign highlights the ‘Koala Diplomacy’ often rolled out by our politicians – happily posing with a cute Koala in their arms, but behind all the photo opportunities and political rhetoric they continue to approve the destruction of Koala habitat.

AKF Chair Deborah Tabart OAM, said we need Gen Z to know just how important their vote is on May 21.

“The Koala Army’s Guide to Democracy is illustrated by AKF’s designer, Shaun Wilson and so cleverly depicts the political landscape and how it is up to us, ‘the people’ to stop our beloved Koalas going from ‘Endangered’ to ‘Extinct’.

AKF is calling for the urgent adoption of a Koala Protection Act. Australia’s laws do nothing to protect Koala habitat. Cash splashes and band-aid solutions will not save the Koala, strong legislative action is needed to stop the bulldozers. The message is simple – ‘no tree, no me’.

The Koala Army’s Guide to Democracy e-book can be found here.

To help Australians make an informed vote, AKF launched the Act or Axe initiative which showcases which Members of Parliament supports the Koala Protect Act: https://www.savethekoala.com/our-work/act-or-axe/

About the Australian Koala Foundation:

• The Australian Koala Foundation (AKF) is the principal non-profit, non-government organisation dedicated to the long-term conservation and effective management of the wild Koala in Australia.

• Over 80% of the Koala’s natural habitat has been destroyed since white settlement of Australia, and almost none of the remaining 20% is protected. The AKF’s proposed Koala Protection Act aims to change this.

• Since its founding in 1986, the AKF has grown from a small group of people interested in researching koala disease, to a well-known, global organisation with a strong track record in strategic koala research, conservation and community education.

/Public Release.