Thursday, 27 August 2026

 Georgie PURCELL (Northern Victoria) (12:04): (1446) My question is for the Minister for Environment. Members of the public are told to report illegal kangaroo shooting in their communities, but it is impossible for them to determine whether it is even illegal in the first place. Kangaroos can be shot under landholder permit systems or by commercial kangaroo shooters. To complicate matters more, in the LGAs where commercial shooting is not allowed, ATCW permits can still be obtained. However, it is not a requirement to notify neighbouring properties when shooting is occurring under either system, and requests for information on permits or shooting activity are blocked by the department for privacy reasons. Minister, the inability to even know if shooting is illegal is resulting in wildlife cruelty going unpunished. Will you implement a system for transparency that allows communities to know whether the killing of kangaroos is authorised?

 Jaclyn SYMES (Northern Victoria – Minister for Energy and Resources, Minister for Environment, Minister for Climate Action, Minister for the State Electricity Commission) (12:05): I thank Ms Purcell for her question in relation to kangaroos and the various management mechanisms. The kangaroo harvesting management plan, as we discussed yesterday with Ms Copsey, states that no more than 10 per cent of Victoria’s kangaroo population should be controlled each year across both commercial harvesting and the authority-to-control-wildlife permit system. The conservation regulator is responsible for administering the authority-to-control-wildlife system. Land managers can apply for an authorisation to undertake control activities on their property, as you have identified, which can be outside the harvesting zones. The approval is only granted once all reasonable options have been considered and implemented – for example, improving fencing to exclude wildlife from the area where they are causing damage.

The conservation regulator works in partnership with Crime Stoppers to promote reporting of wildlife and forest crime and collect witness information. Reports of wildlife and forest crime made to Crime Stoppers are then provided to the conservation regulator for assessment and action. All reports of wildlife and forest crime reported are assessed to determine if they require regulatory investigation. Any shooting without an explicit permit or outside the commercial harvesting program in designated exclusion zones or shooting on public road reserves without authorisation is clearly illegal. Suspected illegal hunting, spotlighting offences or wildlife cruelty should be reported immediately to the Game Management Authority enforcement, and they have got a number to do that.

I think, just in practice, Ms Purcell, you have heard instances where this is a problem in terms of neighbours being unaware. There are also obviously lots of situations where neighbours would alert other neighbours to what is happening. In terms of the local communications, sometimes it works really well, and you have identified areas where perhaps it could be better.

 Georgie PURCELL (Northern Victoria) (12:07): Thank you, Minister, for your response. Certainly a requirement to notify would go a long way, for those who do not. Your answer leads me in well to my supplementary, because the public is told to report illegal kangaroo shooting through the Game Management Authority, 000 or Crime Stoppers. The problem is that kangaroo shooting occurs at night-time but the GMA hotline is only open during business hours. Police officers are not trained in kangaroo-shooting rules and do not have access to departmental information to determine whether or not the shooting is legal or illegal, and Crime Stoppers do not actually provide information on reports after they are made, even to the complainant. In many instances the GMA will inform people to call the police and the police will tell people to call the GMA. The government has confirmed that Fishing, Hunting and Outdoor Victoria will be responsible for kangaroo compliance when it is established. Will the agency have a 24/7 reporting tool, with compliance officers ready to respond immediately when it matters most?

 Jaclyn SYMES (Northern Victoria – Minister for Energy and Resources, Minister for Environment, Minister for Climate Action, Minister for the State Electricity Commission) (12:08): I thank Ms Purcell for her question and her acknowledgement that we are still establishing and implementing the changes in relation to the body, and I take her suggestions on board. The Game Management Authority is responsible for compliance and enforcement of the conditions of kangaroo harvesting programs. They regularly monitor harvesters to ensure compliance with the national code and investigate reports of noncompliance. As you have indicated, if members of the public have concerns out of hours about safety or illegal firearm use, they should contact Victoria Police, and in the establishment of the new body a conversation with Victoria Police will certainly be happening.