RIS for the proposed Wildlife (Game) Regulations 2001

Submission by the National Party of Australia – Victoria

The National Party of Australia – Victoria welcomes the opportunity to respond to the proposed Wildlife (Game) Regulations 2001. We agree with the comment in the Regulatory Impact Statement that:

"Game species are the common property of all members of the community and hunting activities need to be regulated to ensure that they are maintained to provide a range of sustainable consumptive and non-consumptive uses for present and future generations."

While the emphasis of these regulations is on managing hunting, the National Party believes equal emphasis should be put on managing game. To this extent the development of a State Game Strategy incorporating the management of game habitat should become an important priority for Government. The objectives of the Wildlife (Game) Regulations can best be achieved by the integration of regulated hunting opportunities and broader conservation measures.

The proposed regulations in large part duplicate current arrangements. These regulations have evolved over the years with some pertaining to deer hunting only having come into being earlier this year. Their review is timely and this submission choses to comment only on those regulations with which the National Party has some level of disagreement.

Proposed Regulations

The National Party believes that the permissible number of hounds used by any one hunting team should be 8 and not 5. The figure of 8 seems more appropriate and is accepted by deer hunters. Five is too few and only encourages the circumvention of the existing regulations by two teams joining-up to become a team of 10. Eight also allows juvenile dogs to be trained.

The National Party also believes the hound hunting log introduced in March 2001 serves no real purpose and should be abandoned. We are not convinced the requirement of a log improves "the accountability of hound teams" as stated in the RIS.

23,24, 
& 25  Close season, Open season, Bag Limit

The National Party supports these regulations as they apply to deer hunting and welcomes the introduction of the hunting of fallow deer on private land.

In respect to duck hunting we believe the setting of new regulations provides an ideal opportunity for hunting restrictions to reflect seasonal conditions. We understand for example that the current regulations (and those proposed) allow bag limits to be reduced and seasons shortened, but not the contrary.

If seasonal conditions are such that ducks are plentiful, it may be that bag limits should be increased or more of particular duck species allowed to be taken. We also believe at times it may be appropriate to extend the duck season, when climatic conditions and duck numbers, make this appropriate.

We believe the regulations should give flexibility to allow both the upward and downward movement of bag numbers and season length.

While the vast majority of Australian hunters would not wish to use a gauge greater than 12 to hunt ducks, it has been put to the National Party that it is common for international shooters to us 10 gauge. Hunting now attracts significant overseas revenue. This proposed regulation appears to serve no purpose other than to prevent international duck hunters spending money in Australia.

While non-toxic shot is becoming readily available for 12 gauge guns, this is not the case for other gauges. The National Party believes the phase-out period for toxic shot should be flexible and reflective of the availability of non-toxic shot for other gauges.

The National Party does not support restricting scent-trailing hounds to pure bloodhounds and beagles only. As stated in the RIS, currently 96% of hounds used are other than bloodhounds and beagles. We see this proposal as an underhand method of banning hunting by hounds in Victoria. We believe that this vast majority of hound hunters conduct a hunt in a manner that most would approve. Why should the majority be penalised by the actions of a few?

Surely the answer lies in better education and greater enforcement. The steps taken with other regulations (i.e. micro-chipping, mandatory hunting courses, behaviour of dogs) will assist to prevent the relatively few undesirable outcomes of hunting with hounds.

Further, we acknowledge the desire of the ADA to breed a hound specifically for the hunting of sambar deer. We support his effort and believe opportunity to do this should be given before a decision on hound type is taken.

We also believe consideration should be given to requiring all hound hunters to belong to a recognised hunting organisation. This would, by way of peer pressure, assist in better adherence to the conditions under which hound hunting is permitted.

However as the proposed regulations currently stands, we see the restriction of hound type as unnecessary, unfair and nothing more than an attempt by stealth to abolish deer hunting with hounds.

The National Party supports the use of motor boats operating at a speed of 5 knots or less for the purpose of retrieving ducks on both waterways and open waters. We do not understand the logic of allowing this in rivers and channels but not in lakes and swamps.

The National Party does not support the requirement of having to leave one wing fully feathered. Our opposition is on two counts:-

* Bacteria is carried in the uncleaned wing and could be spread to the cleaned sections of the bird.

* It is possible to identify cleaned ducks by other characteristics

The National Party believes for reasons based on health grounds that this regulation is undesirable.

PETER HALL MLC
MEMBER FOR GIPPSLAND PROVINCE