Tuesday, 18 February 2025

 Rikkie-Lee TYRRELL (Northern Victoria) (13:32): My members statement today is dedicated to highlighting Field & Game Australia Inc. Last week I was joined by a healthy handful of my colleagues here from the Parliament of Victoria, their staff and even some of our family members at the Melbourne Gun Club in the Yarra Valley. We were split up into several teams and competed in a series of clay target shooting events. The targets moved in different directions, imitating the nature of specific species of game. Personally my favourites were the ducks, where they fly towards you. Having never touched a firearm of any sort, let alone fired one, this was all new to me. I would like to personally thank Emily and Robert for all of their patience and professional instruction for the day, ensuring I felt safe, confident and successful in the use of a shotgun to hit the targets. Field & Game Australia have over 50 branches here in Victoria alone and provide weekly events to their 16,000-plus members. Their aim is to provide conservation and habitat preservation to ensure ethical and sustainable hunting practices. With strict regulations in place, this ensures game species are managed successfully and enhances balanced ecosystems. Another bonus of their work is providing pest control services to our agricultural industries, helping to reduce crop losses and protecting livestock. This is a community of wonderful people who participate in an outdoor recreation that benefits their physical and mental health and creates lifelong friendships along the way.