Some of the most fundamental questions of forest bat conservation cannot be answered without a stable species taxonomy, yet the taxonomy of Australian bats requires extensive research. Approximately two-thirds of species, affecting 80% of genera, require taxonomic clarification. This includes most of the common and widely distributed species of the more populous regions of Australia. The extent of this taxonomic crisis is not widely appreciated by mammalogists let alone the wider community. A significant proportion of existing bat research, including research relevant to conservation, continues to be invalidated by uncertainties surrounding species recognition. This situation will not improve without a substantial increase in funding for taxonomic research of Australian bats, which at present is effectively non-existent