Tom Parry
POLITICIANS descended on Sale last Monday, June 26 to gauge local insights into duck hunting.
Members of state parliament’s Legislative Council visited the region as part of an inquiry into Victoria’s recreational native bird hunting arrangements, with supporters and opponents alike coming forward to have their say.
Asked why it was important that the inquiry came to Sale, chair Ryan Batchelor said the committee wanted to “get out of Melbourne” and into regions that have hunting as part of their community.
“There’s a lot of game licence holders in this part of the world, so we decided to come and hold it out here (in Sale) so we could hear first-hand from locals on their perspectives,” Mr Batchelor said.
He noted that the inquiry had received about 10,500 submissions from right across the state on the issue of duck hunting.
“It’s the largest-ever number of submissions to a parliamentary inquiry in Victoria’s history,” Mr Batchelor said.
“There’s a lot of interest in the topic, so we wanted to make sure we were out and about in places other than Melbourne, hearing from people and what they have to say.”
Seven of the nine committee members were present in Sale: Mr Batchelor (Southern Metropolitan Region, Labor); Bev McArthur (Western Victoria, Liberal Party); Evan Mullholland (Northern Metropolitan, Liberal); Jeff Bourman (Eastern Victoria, Shooters, Fishers & Farmers); Melina Bath (Eastern Victoria, The Nationals); Sheena Watt (Northern Metropolitan, Labor); and Georgie Purcell (Northern Victoria, Animal Justice Party).
Deputy Chair Michael Galea (South-Eastern Metropolitan, Labor) and Katherine Copsey (Southern Metropolitan, Greens) were both absent from proceedings.
All photos: Parliament of Victoria
Ms Purcell told the Gippsland Times she was compelled to be part of the inquiry because of her long-held view that duck hunting should be banned in Victoria.
“I’ve been a duck rescuer with the Coalition Against Duck Shooting for over a decade now … I’ve seen the cruelty, the death and the destruction that recreational duck shooting has on our native wildlife, and the havoc it wreaks on our wetlands, and I think it’s time that Victoria brought itself in-line with New South Wales, Western Australia and Queensland, and ended it for good,” Ms Purcell said.
Other committee members possessed an alternative view, such as Mr Bourman, who was open in his support of duck hunting and wanting to see the practice continue.
“I was not going to let the government hold an inquiry that I didn’t support without me on there to fight the good fight – to fight for what I believe is right,” Mr Bourman said of his involvement.
“And I also wanted to make sure Ms Purcell was on here, because I don’t think the inquiry would have any legitimacy without the pair of us.
“We have 180-degree views on this issue, but it’s pointless having either her on it and not me, or me on it and not her; we need to both be here for it to have any legitimacy.”
The committee began the day with a visit to the Heart Morass wetlands between Sale and Longford, which are managed by Field & Game Australia (FGA) and used as a hunting area during duck season.
Members then travelled to the Port of Sale building, where public hearings took place in the Wellington Room.
Representatives of Wellington Shire Council were the first to speak at 10am, including Mayor Ian Bye, who provided the opening statement.
Council indicated its support for duck hunting, noting FGA’s preservation of Heart Morass, the economic benefits that hunters bring to the region, and how a high number of ducks can impact the agricultural sector.
Next to speak at 11.15am was the National Public Affairs Manager at BirdLife Australia, Sean Dooley.
Mr Dooley told the inquiry that he was once supportive of recreational duck hunting, but that his view on its viability had changed.
He claimed that hunting had a multiplying effect on the major challenges to birdlife, being a loss of habitat and climate change, and the “bounce back” in bird numbers was decreasing over time.
After a break for lunch, hearings resumed at 1pm with Mining and Energy Union representatives – Victorian District President Trevor Williams, and secretary Mark Richards – speaking.
Mr Williams said that he had been approached by “a number of members” within the union to speak at the inquiry, noting that most members engage in outdoor recreational activities in their downtime.
He expressed his fear that a move to ban duck hunting was “the thin edge of the wedge” and that other outdoor activities – such as fishing and off-roading – would be banned as a result.
At 2.15pm, the inquiry then heard from a group of four “duck rescuers” – Dave Evans, Manfred Zabinskas, Helen Round and Tania Begg – who travelled from central Victoria to participate.
In voicing their opposition to duck hunting, the group detailed claims of animal cruelty, “bird massacres”, and Aboriginal sites of cultural significance being desecrated by hunters across Victoria, but did not present evidence of such behaviour at Heart Morass.
The last people to speak, at 3.20pm, were Glenda Anderson, John Byers and Gary Howard, all of whom identified as hunters.
While acknowledging that he had witnessed hunters doing the wrong thing, Mr Howard said that there were “very little problems” regarding hunter behaviour at Heart Morass.
Mr Byers, a former police officer, stated that he had only once witnessed criminal activity among hunters, having investigated a man for shooting a protected duck species in 2004.
Mr Howard suggested that peer pressure, regulation and education – the latter of which was “lacking” – were key to reducing rogue behaviour among hunters.
The hearing officially concluded at 4.15pm.
Mr Bourman described the day’s hearings as “a bit theatrical”, and was not surprised by the evidence presented: “I’ve heard all the stories before.”
“I know the pro-hunting side of it pretty well … I’m only a duck hunter this year, but I’ve been around duck hunters for God knows how long; the antis, the story’s always the same,” he said.
Ms Purcell shared a similar view, saying she had “heard it all” before.
“But I think it was a very beneficial day for the committee members, because there are so many of us who don’t have that experience,” Ms Purcell added.
“It was very interesting to hear from shooters about what they believe is their conservation work, versus rescuers and what they believe is their conservation work.
“Something that is abundantly clear is that it is an issue where there are very many deeply-held views, and that’s why it’s so important that this committee is doing its work.”
Mr Batchelor said he was interested to hear from Council about the impact of bird populations on farming practices, “because that’s something that hasn’t really come up yet in other hearings”.
“That was probably the thing at today’s hearing … that struck me as being new and different, and we’re obviously interested to hear more about that over the course of the inquiry,” Mr Batchelor said.
The parliamentary inquiry into Victoria’s recreational native bird hunting arrangements was established in March, following the state government’s announcement of a shortened 2023 duck hunting season.
This year’s season ran from April 26 to May 30.
The announcement was criticised by both sides of the hunting debate – supporters claimed the season was shortened without scientific basis, while opponents argued that it shouldn’t have gone ahead at all.
Despite the generally-heated nature of the debate, the mood inside the Wellington Room was largely civil throughout the day, with no interjections or protests coming from the well-attended gallery.
Both Mr Bourman and Ms Purcell indicated that the tone was consistent with previous hearings the inquiry had run.
“Thanks to the work of our wonderful chair … the process has been very polite and respectful, and everyone is just coming to us with I think what they believe is the right process moving forward,” Ms Purcell said.
“We have had a very even split on opinions at each hearing – usually one for, one against in each of the blocks, so I think that we’ve done a really good job getting a balanced and fair view from all stakeholders.
“And there are so many stakeholders interested in this, from wildlife groups, environmental groups, shooters, unions, local businesses, (and) councillors.
“It’s been a well-run exercise so far.”
The inquiry will table its report in parliament by the end of August.
