Why did the first fleet bring rabbits to Australia?

Answer 1

1. There is no such thing as an "Australian rabbit". Rabbits were introduced to Australia.

2. Rabbits were not "transported". Transportation was the punishment given to people who had committed crimes.

However, rabbits were brought to Australia on the First Fleet as a food source.

Answer 2

It is not actually known why rabbits came with the First Fleet, but for whatever reason, they did not breed prolifically or cause any problems for the first few years of the colony's settlement. There is absence of any evidence that they were either eaten or hunted for sport in the Sydney area, so it is uncertain why rabbits were initially introduced. They were known to be popular as pets in the Sydney area in the 1840s, but this is long A&R the First Fleet.

This is completely different from the introduction of rabbits later, in the 1850s, when they were brought over specifically for the purpose of hunting.