REGULATOR CONFIRMS: NO CONSULTATION PRIOR TO VICTORIAN NATIVE BIRD HUNTING
CASH-STRAPPED VICTORIA PAYS $$MILLIONS FOR HUNTING, WHILE NUMBERS OF HUNTERS DECLINE
HUNTING OR TOURISM- WHO CALLS THE SHOTS?
December News Part 1 - Regional Victorians OTDS
Australian native Pink-eared Duck, the smallest "game" duck permitted to be shot. "They are very poor game birds, being very tame, slow on the wing and easy to shoot; they are very small and are poor table birds... I have seen irresponsible shooters fill their bags with them during the day, but throw them away if "better" birds were secured... In my view the bird should be removed from all game lists" - Bird expert & hunter H.J Frith (Waterfowl in Australia 1981, p 245).
Photo Eleanor Dilley
Millions of Taxpayer Dollars Fund Minority Blood Sport
The Allan government has decided taxpayers, around 99 percent of whom do not hunt, should foot the bill for hunting-related "research" (aka promotion). Some examples below:
A taxpayer funded “count” of ducks in Victoria, obtained by low flying choppers terrorizing stock and pets, has just concluded, covering only a fraction of the thousands of waterways where native bird hunting is permitted. The number will be extrapolated out to obtain “an estimate” to serve as a basis for how many hundreds of thousands can be shot for fun in autumn.
Similar counts in NSW recently showed an ALARMING COLLAPSE IN DUCK NUMBERS. The total across 8 game species was less than half (43%) of the previous year. Pacific Black Duck dropped to less than a third of the previous estimate. Pink-eared Ducks (permitted to be shot on some NSW rice fields – with lead ammunition - even though they don’t even eat rice) were just one-eighth (13%) of the previous estimate. No Blue-winged Shovelers were found at all. (Source: NSW DPI Annual Waterfowl Quota Reports: 2023/24 p17 and 2024/25 p15/16).
A computer model - complete with its assumptions, approximations, statistical uncertainties and caveats - has controversially determined between 10-20% of the estimated duck populations can be "sustainably" slaughtered by recreational hunters every year for the next 50 years. (Imagine using a computer model to predict farming, pandemics, or the economy for the next 50 years?!).
But the "independent" Victorian regulator will rely on it solely, having just announced it will not be holding stakeholder consultation prior to recommending next autumn's shoot. The recommendation will be made to Minister Dimopoulos within weeks (even though the regulator is yet to publish last season's hunting report).
Public concern about cruelty will be deflected by citing yet more taxpayer-funded research into wounding (non-kill) rates. And taxpayer-funded research into the supposed economic benefits of bird hunting consists simply of voluntary surveys of hunters who guesstimate their expenditure – no evidence required.
There is still no study of the impacts of tonnes of toxic lead pumped into our farmland from decades of quail shooting, no safety-risk assessments despite hunting being permitted at thousands of public areas often close to homes, and no cost-benefit analysis. The “research” is selective as well as expensive.
Fig 1: The significant gap in funding for hunting is covered by taxpayers and will be only partially addressed by the new hunting regulations. Further, there is additional taxpayer funding of hunting programs run by other government agencies - DEECA, DJSIR, Vic Pol and even universities.
(Source: Wildlife (Game) Regulations 2024 Regulatory Impact Statement).
Hunter Numbers Fall
This spending of our hard-earned dollars will benefit very few. Less than half of one percent of the population are licensed to shoot native birds for leisure. And according to government data, a significant percentage of this tiny number are inactive, i.e. don’t even go out shooting. (Typically 50% of duck shooters and 90% of quail shooters don't take part in the shooting season.)
Latest Game Management Authority licence statistics show all hunter numbers - duck, quail and deer – are currently in decline, with duck and quail licences showing the most significant fall (eg duck licences have fallen almost 20% in seven years).
Co-incidence?
Despite the key recommendation of the Labor government's own Parliamentary Inquiry being to ban native duck and quail hunting, our new Premier (dubbed “Andrews’ less progressive successor” - Herald Sun, September 2024), allowed both blood sports to continue regardless. It is widely believed her husband supports hunting as well as fishing. (Last year Victoria’s “first man” was reportedly behind the controversial plan to give every child a taxpayer-funded free fishing rod).
Curiously, the current chair of the Game Management Authority and the new acting CEO of Parks Victoria appear to be long-time associates of the Premier's husband from years of serving on the Board of the Victorian Fisheries Authority together.
"I'm so lucky to have Yorick and as well I have an in-house political advisor" - Jacinta Allan MP speaking of her husband Yorick Piper, Bendigo Weekly, April 2015
Birding Brings Big Bucks
Meanwhile, latest data released by Tourism Research Australia again shows more domestic overnight tourists birdwatched than visited the Great Barrier Reef. And the number of international tourists who birdwatched was around double the number who fished.
The Cairns Post recently featured the success of birdwatching at Cattana Wetlands in Queensland. And The Guardian highlighted how Ecuador’s birding boom is more profitable than farming.
Sadly, Victoria still lags NSW and QLD when it comes to the highly lucrative domestic overnight nature-based tourism sector. Yet the potential for birdwatching revenue with our stunning wetlands like Kerang, Corangamite, Boort – just to name a few - is eye-watering.
Perhaps we could interest the Premier's husband in birdwatching?
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