Tuesday, 28 November 2023

Gippsland East electorate

Tim BULL (Gippsland East) (14:43): (442) My constituency question is to the Treasurer, and the information that I seek is whether the upcoming budget will include further funds for brumby culling next financial year. We know the Treasurer is trying to save a dollar everywhere he can at the present time because the state is broke, and here is a very, very good place to start. This program should be ended. The money we are spending on trying to eradicate brumbies would be much better spent at the present time in areas like roads, like health and like mental health that are all in crisis. I am not at all comfortable the government has considered that brumbies are a tourist attraction. People come to East Gippsland to photograph them, to paint them. We have brumby sightseeing tours. There is no doubt that controls are needed, but eradication, in my view, is a step too far. We have a number of groups putting up their hands to suggest other methods, so what I would like to see is the government sit down and have a serious discussion with them and remove this funding.