Other research indicates the leaders of the three major parties are in favour, a majority of parliamentarians are in favour and a majority of Australians are in favour, so why do we need a plebiscite?

There is enough evidence for our elected representatives to do what is expected of them and get it over with. Please Malcolm show the conviction of your opinion and lead a vote in Canberra. 

Scott Morrison charges taxpayers $354 to attend a fellow Liberal MP's wedding then repays it, saying he had "inadvertently" claimed the travel allowance. And now he is federal Treasurer; mmm.

Snail bait poisoning, which is also known as “shake and bake” syndrome, occurs when pets or wildlife ingest snail or slug bait which contains the drug metaldehyde.

All animals are susceptible to this and as little as one teaspoon, or one pellet per 4.5kg of bodyweight, is all that is needed to cause a horrific, slow death.

The reason why animals are drawn to consume this product is due to its pellet form, which resembles dry pet food.

Snail baits are also formulated with other food products, such as oats, soybeans, rice or molasses, which is designed to attract snails.

Unfortunately, this also lures pets and native wildlife into thinking they are a food source, leading to death in over 50 per cent of pets and an almost certain fatality in all wildlife that consume it.

Once ingested, the clinical signs of metaldehyde develop rapidly, sometimes within an hour of ingestion. The initial signs of snail bait poisoning are mild twitching and an unsteady gait, which is an abnormality in the animals’ ability to walk or fly away.

If left untreated – affected animals begin to exhibit severe, generalised tremors, followed by seizures. These tremors and convulsions significantly raise the body temperature which can lead to permanent brain damage and ultimately death.

Snail bait poisoning can be challenging to diagnose – as many factors can cause muscle tremors.

Stomach and blood contents can be examined for the poison, but this is ineffective as this is time consuming and impractical in emergency situations.

Often as pets are being diagnosed the toxicity can worsen, leading to death before diagnosis can even occur. This is due to pet owners being unaware of the dangers of metaldehyde, or unaware that their pets can come into contact with areas that have been baited.

As a wildlife rescuer, it is very distressing to witness our beautiful native wildlife suffering in such a horrific manner.

Wildlife are even more susceptible to this poison because birds not only mistake the bait for food, but also consume slugs and snails who have already ingested it.  

To add to this, when wildlife become sick or injured, they have nobody to turn to for help, they ride out the early symptoms and only when they become too sick to fly or walk away from humans, can they be taken to a vet for treatment.

By this stage they are already heavily suffering and beyond saving, and almost certainly have to be euthanised. Furthermore, metaldehyde poisoning works its way up the food chain, causing even more destruction as dogs and cats kill and eat birds and lizards already sick from the poison. 

Please choose alternative insect repelling methods.