Thursday, 31 August 2023

Duck hunting

Katherine COPSEY (Southern Metropolitan) (17:35): (453) My adjournment this evening is to the Minister for Agriculture. This morning the parliamentary inquiry into recreational native bird hunting handed down its final report, which recommended a ban on duck shooting in Victoria. Duck shooting is a barbaric practice that has been given the green light by Victorian Labor for far too long. The government should now act swiftly to end the slaughter of our native birds. We know that Victoria is in the midst of an extinction crisis and we know that thousands of waterbirds are already under extreme stress, so to continue to allow duck shooting is nothing short of inhumane.

Duck shooting has been banned in states like New South Wales, Queensland and Western Australia for decades, and yet despite decades of activism by brave rescuers, by community members, we are still yet to see a ban on this cruel sport in Victoria. Minister, with the release of today’s report the government has no more excuses for delay and in fact has a wonderful opportunity to bring Victoria into line with other states. Will you stand up to the shooting lobby and their allies and immediately implement the committee’s recommendation to ban duck shooting in Victoria?