Thursday, 4 December 2025

 Melina BATH (Eastern Victoria) (23:45): (2222) My adjournment matter is for the attention of the Minister for Environment. The action I seek is for the minister to ensure that the merger of the Victorian Fisheries Authority with the Game Management Authority, as outlined in the government’s response to the Silver review, into a new peak body called Outdoor Recreation Victoria, delivers on its stated objectives without compromising compliance, enforcement or service delivery across the state. Hunting and fishing are deeply meaningful activities for Victorians, whether in rural areas – for our regional towns – or in metropolitan areas. These activities are not pastimes, they are actually a tradition and a way of life. They add to our mental health. They contribute very meaningfully to towns and the state’s economy. Victorians deserve fair access and strong regulation to protect sustainability. What we do not want is further restrictions on fishing and game hunting, nor do we want frontline service cuts. We already saw earlier this year that the Victorian fisheries officers were gutted by 44 per cent, which caused great consternation and distress in our fishing fraternity, reducing compliance and enforcement capability. Weakening enforcement risks increases in illegal poaching, and we have seen that unregulated fishing undermines that sustainability that we all want to see. While the merger promises efficiencies, there are key questions. What about staffing? How many roles will be moved, downgraded or cut, and where will regional access and service delivery suffer? Which offices are closing? A key part of my issue tonight, my request, is about training. Will there be cross-training and how much and where and when? We need to ensure that there are standards that are kept. Cost savings – what will the mergers cost and how much and what are the deliverables? When will this be achieved – in six months, 12 months, 24 months?

I spoke today with some members of the hunting fraternity, and they outlined to me that indeed in New Zealand there is Fish & Game New Zealand. They have merged them, and they believe that there are good synergies that can work. I have also spoken to others in the fishing fraternity who were actually very concerned that this will lead to, again, less officers doing the work that is really important to maintain fish stocks and healthy regulation and reduce that illegal poaching. So the action I seek from the minister is to guarantee that compliance and enforcement capacity is not diminished and that officers receive comprehensive training to uphold both fisheries and game management standards. Victorians, whether they fish in Western Port Bay or up in the high country, deserve certainty that their access will not be compromised and the new agency strengthens, not weakens, the services that they rely on.