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That is exactly right. The starlings were brought from England by the "Acclimatisation Society" in 1863 and released in eastern Australia, where they are now widespread. They brought in a lot of species like larks, thrushes, blackbirds, starlings to make them feel more at home. The Australian wildlife was not what they were used to hunting so they brought in deer, antelopes, pheasants and partridges etc. At the time, this all made sense to them - they saw themselves as improving the diversity of life and making it more like they were used to.
As for the starlings ... they are well established on the east and are now tolerated (containment as opposed to eradication). In Western Australia the arid area is a natural barrier that has limited their spread westwards, so it is more realistic to think about eradication there.
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