Tuesday, 12 May 2026

 Georgie PURCELL (Northern Victoria) (12:18): (1310) My question is for the new Minister for Outdoor Recreation. Congratulations, Minister. On the opening weekend of the 2017 duck-shooting season almost 300 protected birds were illegally killed in front of Game Management Authority officers, with close to a thousand more wounded or discarded. After arresting some rescuers, the GMA went home. I and other volunteers were still collecting bodies after sunset. The Andrews government commissioned an independent review into GMA’s failings. The findings were damning – that the GMA was neither impartial nor independent, that noncompliance was widespread and that the agency focused more on penalising rescuers than enforcing animal welfare. Most critically, the review found that the GMA was too comfortable with hunting organisations and warned that combining promotion and regulation undermines credibility. Minister, how do you justify creating a new agency that legislates this very conflict of interest after being explicitly warned of the dangers of doing so?

 Enver ERDOGAN (Northern Metropolitan – Minister for Casino, Gaming and Liquor Regulation, Minister for Environment, Minister for Outdoor Recreation) (12:19): I thank Ms Purcell for her question – a really important question – and her longstanding interest in these matters.

From the outset I do want to state the importance of the work that the Game Management Authority does. We know that Victoria has a long history and tradition of recreational hunting and a government that recognises that duck hunting is an important and legitimate outdoor activity that should be done safely, sustainably and of course in accordance with the law. In relation to that, I do want to acknowledge my predecessor Minister Dimopoulos for the work he undertook – challenging work, important work – to strike the right balance and commit to ensuring we can improve the outdoor experience for all Victorians, whether that be in the hunting sphere or whether that be in the fishing sphere. That is why our government’s commitment to outdoor recreation will be seen and will be debated in this chamber shortly through the introduction of new legislation.

But I do understand your concerns. I think there is always a challenge with being a regulator but also with key powers to approve actions as well. Having approval powers and enforcement powers can be, at times, a conflict. It is about how organisations manage that conflict. As a minister, I have noticed that is quite common across agencies, whether it be at Parks Victoria or whether it be at the EPA. There are a lot of roles that they play where they are in charge of approvals but are also in charge of enforcement. These are not conflicts that cannot be managed; they can be, and it is my expectation that the organisation has that in place – obviously subject to the legislative process. I do not want to pre-empt debate in this chamber, because –

Georgie Purcell: On a point of order, President, my question was specifically in relation to the promotion of hunting. The GMA does not currently have that power. So I am not referring to approvals and compliance, I am referring to the fact that they will now promote hunting, which they do not currently do.

The PRESIDENT: The minister to continue.

Enver ERDOGAN: I think the goal of Outdoor Recreation Victoria is to improve the experience for Victorians so they can get outdoors more. Whether it be hunting, fishing, rock climbing or many other activities that people like in our great outdoors, I think it is important that we promote them as healthy alternatives. As a government, some of our best programs have been in this space – from little anglers to the investments we have made across the board to improve the experience. I think that is an important role. It is like how our Department of Health promotes healthier lifestyles and healthier living. I think a lot of agencies have similar roles. I think it is important they do this work. I think, whether it be hunting or any other outdoor recreation, these are legitimate activities that we should be supporting.

 Georgie PURCELL (Northern Victoria) (12:21): Thank you, Minister, for your response. I know you are new to the portfolio, but my question was specifically into how it is justified and how it will be managed. We can explore that more when the bill comes to Parliament. The Pegasus report found that even the GMA’s own staff lacked confidence in the agency’s ability to enforce hunting laws or hold offenders accountable, prompting the minister at the time to refuse ruling out shutting them down entirely. Soon after, the GMA’s manager of compliance, a former homicide detective, resigned, claiming the agency was unwilling to properly investigate illegal behaviour and lacked the capacity to effectively regulate hunters. In his resignation he stated that his attempts to pursue investigations were blocked and that he had been directed not to refer to animal cruelty or the code of practice in enforcement matters. Given that the government has confirmed that all Game Management Authority jobs will transfer to Outdoor Recreation Victoria, can the minister advise whether compliance roles will be reduced or whether staff currently regulating hunting will instead be responsible for promoting it?

 Enver ERDOGAN (Northern Metropolitan – Minister for Casino, Gaming and Liquor Regulation, Minister for Environment, Minister for Outdoor Recreation) (12:23): I thank Ms Purcell for that supplementary question. Of course, subject to the passage of the legislation, there will be no job losses as part of this process. The goal is to keep the expertise and retain the skills and experience that exist in both the organisations. There will be opportunities to work in this field and to promote the outdoor activities that this government has invested in, whether it be piers and boating opportunities or whether it be in all our parks and gardens across our state. So there will be opportunities. Our goal is to retain staff that are experienced in this field. But I think that the new organisational structure, once we have a CEO and that process proceeds, will be up to the new leadership of the new organisation to work out. I understand that this merger will have to be staged, because at the moment they have quite separate roles, and this is a merger of two entities. That will be teased out, and I look forward to the passage of the legislation and getting on with the role of setting up Outdoor Recreation Victoria. I look forward to seeing you all out there.