ANTI-duck hunters had one target for decades and now they could have the Victorian Government on their side, with Labor MPs seriously considering a complete ban on duck shooting just weeks ahead of the 2023 season.
A source told the Herald Sun that it was “very close to coming to an end in 2022, but it didn’t get over the line because it was an election year”.
“As an issue, there is a genuine split within the caucus and there are senior ministers who want it stopped. There is momentum there for a change,” the source reportedly said.
“However, the Premier has been reluctant to go ahead with a ban in the past and it is likely to come down to his call.”
A ban would bring Victoria into line with Queensland, New South Wales and Western Australia, which banned recreational duck shooting more than 30 years ago.
The Game Management Authority – the regulating body for game hunting in Victoria – recently submitted its recommendations to the government of what the potential 2023 season should look like.
They recommended that hunters should be allowed to kill four birds per day, the same rules put on hunters last year.
“The experts recommended to regulate the bag limit, rather than season length, if there was a need to restrict seasonal harvest,” the report said.
“The interim harvest model, which considers the relationship between game duck abundance and the extent of habitat throughout eastern Australia, recommends a daily bag limit of four ducks.
“This is influenced by low (to) moderate duck abundance, recent drought conditions from 2017-19, benign conditions in the Lake Eyre Basin and the time it takes populations to recover and grow.”
Victorian Deputy Premier Jacinta Allan has said the government was engaged in “a rigorous process” to decide the future of duck hunting ahead of the 2023 season, due to begin in early March.
She said relevant ministers were considering information and advice from relevant agencies, as they did every year, with a decision on the season to be made shortly.
“It’s about now that process really gets towards a decision making stage,” she said.
“When the decision is made that will be announced in due course.”
Animal Justice Party Member for Northern Victoria Georgie Purcell said whispers a ban could be on the horizon was “incredibly overdue but welcome”.
“With the overwhelming evidence against having a 2023 season from environmental groups, animal welfare charities and their own MPs – it’s clear the government has no other choice but to bring us into line with other states and legislate a ban,” she said.
“I would have loved to have seen this as an election announcement, because we have always known a ban is not only necessary, but politically popular.”
Ms Purcell told The Guardian she was opposed to duck shooting because game birds were native birds for the time outside of the season.
“So many people don’t realise that these animals are protected under the Wildlife Act for the majority of the year, and then under the government it unprotects them,” Ms Purcell said.
“What is especially concerning is many birds that are on the game bird list are on long-term decline, their populations are diminishing through issues such as climate events and development.
“On top of that, we allow them to be shot for recreation.”
Ms Purcell said some game birds were also inhumanly left to suffer after being shot, while others shot in sky weren’t on the game list.
“I’ve seen for myself so often these animals are not immediately killed,” she said. “The birds shot and immediately killed are the lucky ones … so many end up being shot, fly away, escape and swim but left to suffer for weeks on end if not picked up by a rescuer, who simply can’t cover every area where shooting takes place.”
Member for Murray Plains Peter Walsh said the government’s “determination to create an annual air of uncertainty around responsible duck hunting is an affront to regional Victoria”.
He said it’s not just hunters being left in limbo, it jeopardised about $65 million which would be injected into the regional economy by shooters.
“That’s $65 million towards the $356 million recreational hunting industry which benefits many of the smaller economies – Gannawarra Shire, just down the road from Swan Hill, is one of the regional economies which would reap the most benefit from duck season,” Mr Walsh said.
“Victorians need transparency from a state government, not a secrecy system, but we only have to look back to 2022 when the season was announced ever so quietly after being pushed back and back – and only moments before it officially began.”
Majority support ban – RSPCA
THERE is growing community sentiment against duck hunting, according to animal welfare charity RSPCA.
It found of the 6.5 million people living in Victoria, just 23,098 were licensed duck hunters.
Of those, it was estimated only 11,549 actually hunted in 2022.
This meant only 0.17 per cent of the Victorian population are actively participating in duck hunting.
In its submission to Game Management Authority, RSPCA Victoria engaged market research firm Kantar to assess Victorians’ attitudes to duck hunting.
The survey found overall opposition to duck hunting remained high, with two in three Victorians (66 per cent) stating they opposed the activity.
Of metropolitan residents, 68 per cent are opposed to duck hunting, while 61 per cent oppose it in regional Victoria.
RSPCA Victoria said the 2023 season should be cancelled and duck hunting ceased permanently due to the “inevitable suffering of native ducks”.
“Due to the inevitable welfare impacts caused by hunter disturbance to native waterbirds, duck hunting should be banned,” one of seven recommendations said.
“As climate outlook data does not support sustainable duck hunting, duck hunting should cease.
“As long-term declines in game bird species abundance have not recovered with increased habitat, duck hunting must be banned in Victoria to allow game bird populations to recover and be sustainable into the future.
“As the majority of the Victorian population is extremely concerned about the animal welfare impacts of duck hunting and support a ban on duck hunting, this should be enacted to uphold community expectations.”
