Thursday, 19 June 2025

 Georgie PURCELL (Northern Victoria) (12:56): (1665) My question is for the Minister for Outdoor Recreation. On 5 June rescuers from Fly By Night Bat Clinic were called to a grey-headed flying fox hanging from a powerline with a fishing hook through his lip and a large tear in his wing. Just weeks earlier another flying fox was found in Bendigo with a hook pierced through her mouth and nostril. Wildlife carers in my electorate have reported a noticeable spike in injuries caused by fishing gear, coinciding with the Allan government’s little angler program, which is distributing 95,000 fishing kits to nearly 2000 schools across the state. While we cannot say who was responsible in these specific cases, what we do know is that poor practices around discarded fishing gear are already harming native animals, and these behaviours risk being passed on to children through this program. Will the minister match the $1.5 million initiative with education to promote safer wildlife-friendly fishing across northern Victoria?