A plague on the pest – rabbit calicivirus disease and biological control

Activity 6

Spreading the calicivirus: a controversial issue

Farmers in many parts of Australia asked for the release of the calicivirus Australia-wide as soon as it escaped from Wardang Island, while other sections of the community felt that the problem needed careful consideration.

  • What do you think the government should have done?

Teachers notes

Encourage students to consider the following points:

  • risks that might arise from using the virus;

  • the economic effect of rabbits on graziers and pastoralists;

  • economic uses of rabbits;

  • the effect of rabbits on native vegetation and small native mammals.

As with all controversial issues, there is no right answer. Students may need help to distinguish between well-reasoned and emotive arguments and to respect other people's opinions.

Governments and individuals often have to make decisions about controversial issues. Decisions can be based on emotion, impulse, random choice, habit, policy, precedent, or on the careful consideration of all the facts and options available. Although consideration requires time and effort, this process helps to identify more options.

Making thoughtful decisions should include considering the constraints related to an issue or a problem. Constraints limit the number of possible options for solving a problem.

Most decisions involve accepting one or more compromises, which economists term ‘trade-offs’. Accepting trade-offs means that one must reach an acceptable balance between the benefits and costs of various options. What is an acceptable balance is often the difficult part of the decision-making process.

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Posted February 1997.