A ban on recreational duck hunting is set to be shot down by the Victorian government despite it being recommended by a Labor-led parliamentary inquiry.
In August, a Labor-chaired parliamentary inquiry called for recreational duck hunting to be banned across all Victorian public and private land from 2024.
But the state government is expected to reject the recommendation when Premier Jacinta Allan and ministers meet on Monday to thrash out a response.
Animal Justice Party MP Georgie Purcell, who was on the nine-member select committee, warned there would be repercussions.
“If the rumour the government is ignoring their own recommendation to ban duck shooting is true, they will not get the same version of me when parliament returns,” she wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“A disgraceful mockery of the process the community had faith in. It’s no wonder people don’t trust politicians.”
The inquiry was chaired by Ryan Batchelor, one of three Labor MPs on the committee.
Taxpayer funds are used to monitor bird populations and hunting compliance, but the report said policing was almost an impossible task because game reserves are vast and dispersed.
Despite there being no definitive evidence on wounding rates, the committee said thousands of birds were wounded each year and described it as an “unacceptable animal welfare outcome”.
Victorian Greens leader Samantha Ratnam accused the government of refusing to stand up to the shooting lobby.
“In the midst of an extinction crisis and with thousands of waterbirds already under extreme stress, everyone knows duck shooting has had its day. Everyone except Labor, that is,” she said.
Other recommendations of the report were converting duck hunting reserves into public land where people can camp and fish, allowing traditional owners to continue hunting, and retaining exemptions for farmers to control bird populations on agricultural land.
Labor MP Sheena Watt wrote a minority report despite voting for the 17 findings and eight recommendations to be adopted.
In it, the Yorta Yorta woman was at odds with the call for an outright recreational ban, instead suggesting tougher regulations and involving Indigenous people with the management of game reserves.
More than 10,000 submissions were made to the committee, a record for the state.
Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania are the only states where duck shooting is permitted.
Western Australia, NSW and Queensland banned it in 1990, 1995 and 2005 respectively.
– AAP
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