Govt ask to fund more flying-fox research

The federal government is being asked to set up a working group to help manage the "hardship" being caused by flying foxes on Australia's east coast.

A parliamentary committee, which held an inquiry into the issue last year, has also recommended the government establish a dedicated funding pool for flying-fox research and conservation.

"We still aren't sure why flying foxes are increasingly attracted to urban areas ... but it has caused a lot of hardship for a lot of Australians who are living with fruit bats," Nationals MP Andrew Broad told the lower house on Monday.