BELLBROOK ADVOCACY PORTAL

Community Voice • May 2026 Initiative

Evidence Collection Package

BEFORE YOU FILL IN THE FORM

What is actually happening with the flying foxes in Bellbrook

You may have heard that nothing can be done, that the bats are protected, or that the government is working on it. Some of that is true. Some of it is incomplete. Here is what the evidence actually shows.

1. The bats are protected—but that is not the whole story

It is true that the grey-headed flying-fox is a protected species under NSW and federal law. The colony cannot be killed or dispersed by force. That is a real legal constraint.

What that legal constraint does NOT prevent:
  • Developing a formal management plan for the Bellbrook camp
  • Managing vegetation to create buffer zones between the camp and homes
  • Building hard shelters in public spaces and at the school bus stop
  • Applying for government grant money to pay for these things
  • Sustained formal pressure on state and federal agencies to act

"The legal protection applies to harming the bats. It does not apply to protecting the community from the harm the bats cause."

2. There is a government process for managing camps

The NSW Government has a formal system for this. It is called a Flying-fox Camp Management Plan. When a council develops one for a specific camp, it gives the council formal authority to take management actions—and unlocks access to state government grant funding.

Council Declined the Request

In May 2025, a community representative formally asked Kempsey Shire Council to develop a management plan for the Bellbrook camp. Council said no, citing budget issues.

No plan = No authority
No plan = No state grants
The Financial Reality

3. Government money is available—but Bellbrook cannot access it

Total NSW Grant Fund

$1,000,000

The NSW Government has one million dollars set aside for councils to manage flying fox camp impacts on communities. To access this money, a council must have a completed or draft management plan for the site.

Success Case: East Kempsey (Rudder Park)Kempsey Shire Council completed a management plan for East Kempsey in 2022. That local issue was resolved with the help of that plan and unlocked funding.

Bellbrook has no plan. As of March 2026, Council's letter to residents says it "will be seeking external grants." That is future tense. No application has been confirmed. No money has been confirmed for Bellbrook.

Without a formal management plan for Bellbrook, the grant money cannot lawfully go to Bellbrook.

4. What Council Has Done vs. What It Has Not Done

An objective comparison of official commitments up to May 2026

Council HAS Done:

  • Written letters to state government agencies requesting assistance.
  • Held a local community meeting in August 2025.
  • Conducted door-to-door visits in September 2025.
  • Written a formal letter to Bellbrook Public School.
  • Asked Michael Kemp MP (State Member for Oxley) to advocate at the state level.

Council HAS NOT Done:

  • Developed a Camp Management Plan for Bellbrook.
  • Confirmed any grant applications actually lodged for Bellbrook.
  • Disclosed any response from state agencies.
  • Disclosed any response from the Member for Oxley.
  • Committed to a defined timeline for infrastructure at Bellbrook.
  • Reversed the May 2025 decision to decline the management plan.
"Bus stop shielding and park shelters are useful. They are not a solution. They are adaptations to a problem that has not been addressed. The solution starts with a management plan. That decision sits with council."

What would actually help?

The single most important thing that needs to happen is that Kempsey Shire Council develops a Flying-fox Camp Management Plan for Bellbrook. That plan:

1. Formal Authority

Gives council authority to take physical management actions at the site.

2. Grant Access

Opens access to NSW Government grant funding specifically for Bellbrook.

3. Documented Frame

Creates a framework that state agencies must respond to.

4. Definite Timeline

Forces structured timelines and defined responsibilities.

Your experience, documented in formal submissions, is the evidence that makes the plan politically unavoidable.

Now proceed to fill in the form. Your account is legal evidence. Take your time and say what has actually happened to you.