Politics & Council
28 January, 2024
Duck shoot political fallout minimal, says lobby group
A 2024 duck hunting season would make a mockery of the State Parliament inquiry that recommended the abolition of hunting, according to Regional Victorians Opposed to Duck Shooting. The lobby group said: “The Parliamentary Inquiry’s report was...
A 2024 duck hunting season would make a mockery of the State Parliament inquiry that recommended the abolition of hunting, according to Regional Victorians Opposed to Duck Shooting.
The lobby group said: “The Parliamentary Inquiry’s report was clear. Based on concerns for animal welfare, sustainability, and amenity, Victoria should follow the lead of other states and ban native bird hunting.
“Yet here we are in January and the regulator has once again prepared considerations for the next shoot.”
Members said they had transposed the number of duck shooters per postcode, to electorates.
“The results show the Labor Government is very unlikely to suffer an electoral backlash by banning native bird hunting,” it said. “In the Premier’s own electorate of Bendigo East, there are just 543 duck shooters licenses (about one per cent of her total constituents).
“The regulator says about a third of licensed duck shooters aren’t active - ie don’t go shooting - so call it 359.
“Yet Labor won the seat by 9352 votes. So, even if all 543 duck shooter license holders, and ten of each of their mates, all pulled their votes because of bird shoot ban, the Premier is still in front by a country mile.”
In Ripon, held for Labor by first-term MP Martha Haylett, there were 530 duck licences or about one per cent of voters. Ms Haylett won the seat with a margin of 2535 votes.
“The Government needs to rip the Bandaid off and ban it (hunting) like other states, and now’s the time. Anything less than a complete cease-fire at this point will look weak, and pose the obvious question of why the Victorian government won’t listen to its own Parliamentary Inquiry let alone most Victorians”, said RVOTDS campaign director Elizabeth McCann.
“We calculate millions of taxpayer dollars have so far been afforded to bird hunting within the last decade. It’s not as if there aren’t other causes needing the funds. Bird hunting is a minority choice of recreation in which only around 14,000 folks (mainly men) take part, but which causes so many of the rest of us much angst,” she said.
Loddon Shire Council’s submission to last year’s inquiry called for the retention of the duck hunting season because of its economic and social benefits.