She accused the government of “mounting pressure on hunters that are doing the right thing” and said the Coalition continued to support recreational hunters.
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Animal Justice Party MP Georgie Purcell said she was “indescribably angry” about Friday’s announcement.
“This government has blood on its hands and we just don’t understand what more evidence they could possibly need to show Australians overwhelmingly want a ban on duck shooting,” she said.
Purcell said she wanted to be part of the upper house inquiry. “I’m hoping it’s the final nail in the coffin.”
Fellow upper house MP Jeff Bourman,from the Shooters,Fishers and Farmers Party,said he had hoped for a full duck hunting season.
He said the government had ignored its own data about recent wet weather and its effect on bird populations.
“It is justifiable on a scientific basis to have a season,” he said. “Show some leadership and just go with the science every time.”
Greens animals spokeswoman Katherine Copsey accused the government of caving to shooting lobby groups.
“We know Victoria is in the midst of an extinction crisis and we know thousands of waterbirds are already under extreme stress,” Copsey said.
“So to green light this year’s season and send countless more ducks to slaughter for sport is nothing short of inhumane.”
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The Andrews government isunder pressure from environmental and animal rights groups and Labor members to end the sport,particularly after the 2019 summer bushfires wreaked havoc on wildlife numbers.
While a sizeable majority of Labor MPs support a ban on duck hunting,influential Labor figures are worried about picking a fight on the issue and alienating voters in the suburbs and regions.
Multiple government and Labor sources have toldThe Age that Premier Daniel Andrews was reluctant to outlaw the sport and that is one reason why the government hadn’t gone down that path.
The premier has been grilled about duck hunting at multiple press conferences over the past few weeks. He has always maintained that while he understands that recreational shooting isn’t “everyone’s cup of tea”,it was a legitimate form of sport.
One regional Victorian,who asked not to be named,toldThe Age that they had been robo-polled this week about duck hunting. The person was also asked who they voted for at the last election,whether they had heard of the local Labor MP for Bass,Jordan Crugnale,and if they personally supported a ban on shooting native waterbirds. The voter was also asked what their level of education was.
More than 260,000 ducks were killed during last year’s duck shooting season. Most of those birds were shot in Bairnsdale and Sale in Gippsland,Shepparton and Kerang in the state’s north and around Geelong.
Duck hunting seasons are nonexistent in NSW,Queensland and Western Australia. WA banned duck hunting in 1990,NSW followed suit in 1995 and Queensland banned the practice in 2005.
In Victoria,duck shooters – of which there are about 26,000 registered – are allowed to operate only during a specific timeframe set by the state government. That timeframe can vary from year to year.
The season usually kicks off around the third Saturday of March. South Australia and Tasmania’s 2023 duck shooting seasons have already been confirmed.
Victorian duck hunters were arguing this year’s season should go ahead because,they said,wetter-than-average conditions have created ideal breeding conditions. However,animal rights activists have pointed out that last year’s floods disrupted habitats in central and northern Victoria.
Two out of three Victorians said they were opposed to duck shooting,according to the RSPCA. Among regional Victorians,that figure is lower,but still a majority (61 per cent).
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