Controversial kangaroo cull efforts by the ACT Government have renewed a political rift between Greens Minister Shane Rattenbury and his New South Wales party colleagues.
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Territory and Municipal Services officials are preparing to shoot 5000 kangaroos in 2015 and 2016, with culling efforts to begin from Friday at nine nature reserves and associated land around Canberra.
Accused of "unconscionable" conduct by NSW Greens convenor Hall Greenland, Mr Rattenbury said he was angry the party's calls for better use of non-lethal population control methods were being conducted in public.
"The trial of non-lethal methods has been far too slow," Mr Greenland said in statement from the NSW Greens this month.
"By licensing the cull for another two years, the ACT government has signalled their lack of commitment to non-lethal population management."
No scientific consensus on the necessity of the cull or the effectiveness of lethal methods of animal control existed, Mr Greenland said.
"The ACT Government has failed to publicly release evidence that demonstrates how past culls have increased threatened species numbers. In the absence of scientific consensus, proceeding with a cull of nearly 2500 kangaroos is unconscionable."
The party urged Mr Rattenbury and the ACT government to immediately suspend the cull and prioritise non-lethal methods.
Mr Rattenbury said he disagreed with NSW Greens members on the issue and had previously sought to have the criticism handled internally.
"I think they have failed to look at the full environmental picture here which is that this is about protecting all of the species in the nature reserves and I have spoken to the NSW Greens about this.
"We will continue to debate it," Mr Rattenbury said.
On Wednesday Animal Liberation ACT said it would not launch an ACT Civil and Administrative Tribunal appeal against the cull citing high legal costs.
Without a legal appeal, culling will go unchallenged until 2017.
Mr Rattenbury said it was no secret Greens party members held differing views on the shooting of kangaroos and their pouch young.
"There are some of our members who strongly support this, they believe it is important for achieving a reasonable ecological balance in the grasslands and woodlands, which are recognised as threatened eco systems, and which support a range of other species.
"There are those in the Greens who oppose the cull, so this is a very difficult issue for our party."
He did not support the NSW party's decision to go public with its criticism which he called "a narrow view".
"I think that policy debates like this are best achieved through continuing to talk to each other.
"We've met the NSW Greens. I've been to Sydney to discuss this issue with them specifically [in 2014]. This matter has been taken up at national council and a range of other places."
A "licence to kill" issued by the government's Conservator of Flora and Fauna authorises the shooting of no more than 2500 mixed sex species during a single yearly culling season.
It permits shooting in a series of new nature reserves including at Mt Ainslie, Aranda, Mt Majura and Jerrabomberra West, which could be included in 2016 cull efforts.
A copy of the licence released to the Australian Society for Kangaroos shows it permits culling activities "for damage mitigation actions to maintain grassland conservation densities of eastern grey kangaroos".
Animal Liberation ACT spokeswoman Carolyn Drew said an ACAT appeal could cost more than $200,000. She said members would instead try to disrupt shooting in nature reserves through peaceful protests.
