Mr Kemp drew attention to the state’s alarming rates of native mammal extinction, with feral cats and foxes identified as primary culprits.

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“Feral cats are decimating our native wildlife,” he said.

“Feral cats kill more than 1.5 billion native animals each year across Australia.

“There are more than 2.8 million feral cats running wild in Australia, and the destruction is staggering.”

Australia holds the unfortunate distinction of having the highest rate of mammal extinction globally.

In NSW alone, fourteen bird species and 26 mammals have gone extinct over the past 250 years.

Mr Kemp’s parliamentary speech also highlighted the success of the Ngambaa Nature Reserve in the Nambucca Valley.

Managed by the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, the 2,023-hectare reserve is safeguarded by 22km of conservation fencing.

The reserve is expected to support the recovery of twelve threatened species and reintroduce five native mammals that have been locally extinct.

“Nature reserves like Ngambaa are breathing life back to areas devastated by natural disasters and human and predator activity,” Mr Kemp remarked.

Mr Kemp also noted that Ngambaa, like many areas affected by bushfires, is especially vulnerable.

“The bushfires that spread through the Mid North Coast not only burned trees but also created open hunting grounds for feral cats, foxes, and other pests,” he added.

Mr Kemp stressed that while reserves like Ngambaa are vital, they are not enough.

“We need better public awareness of the problem.

“We need stricter regulations on roaming cats to ensure they are not contributing to the destruction of our wildlife.

“We need support for our veterinarians around cats that are not restricted in their movement being deemed as feral.

“We need a coordinated, nationwide effort to control feral populations in all corners of our country,” he concluded.