Inquiry recommends full duck shooting ban – now it’s up to the Premier.

The government’s Select Committee, which has been tasked with inquiring into and reporting on the ‘recreational’ shooting of native waterbirds in Victoria, has made a monumental recommendation for waterbirds: that the Victorian Government “ends the annual recreational native bird hunting season opening on all public and private land from 2024”. But we can’t rest easy yet, as it’s currently just that – a recommendation. It is now up to the Premier and state government to make the final and most important decision.

Victoria’s new Premier, Jacinta Allan, will ultimately have the final say on whether the recommendations of the committee – a full ban on recreational shooting of native birds – are accepted. If she does, this will mean that an end to duck shooting in Victoria will finally be legislated. This move would spare hundreds of thousands of sensitive birds from terrifying and painful deaths on wetlands across the state each year.

The sheer volume of submissions sent from committed individuals who care about native waterbirds, and the support that enabled Animals Australia to represent ducks during the inquiry hearings, has helped bring Victoria to this pivotal point. Now, the power of our collective voice is again needed to get the kindest decision over the line.

Points to help you write your letter:

• Writing your email in your own words will be most powerful for ducks.
• Please be polite and encouraging – at a time when the pro-shooting community is trying to ensure duck shooting can continue, it’s critical the Premier and other decision-makers hear our positive words of encouragement to adopt the committee’s recommendations and end duck shooting.
• Remind decision-makers that the vast majority of Victorians want to see ducks and other wildlife respected and properly protected.
• Make it clear that the kindest decision is what will be celebrated by most Victorians and Australians interstate.

What does duck shooting look like for the ‘targets’?

Every ‘shooting season’, hundreds of thousands of native ducks and quail have been shot and killed, or maimed and left for dead on the wetlands to suffer slow, agonising deaths. This has happened for decades, and an end to the cruelty is long overdue.

With hundreds of pellets blasted at their fragile bodies, ducks shot for this bloodsport are ‘lucky’ if they are killed quickly. An estimated one out of every four birds shot are left to suffer. Some may drown in the water. Some struggle in the jaws of retrieving dogs used for hunting. Some are scooped up, only to be injured further and killed at the hands of inexperienced shooters. And for those who managed to escape, they may live in pain for hours or days, only to be preyed upon or eventually succumb to their injuries.

Shooting can also endanger or kill other non ‘target’ animals; those incorrectly identified by shooters, or young birds left abandoned after their parents are killed or have fled in fear. During the first week of the 2023 ‘shooting season’ alone, Wildlife Victoria’s vet triage team assessed 73 native waterbirds who were shot and left to die, eight of which were threatened species.

WATCH NOW: This is what duck shooting looks like in 2023. Year after year, volunteers have captured evidence of cruelty on Victoria’s wetlands, raising questions as to how much illegal behaviour is going unchecked and how much wildlife suffering is going unseen.

Victoria’s ‘shooting season’ ended on the 30th of May 2023, and even within the short season, appalling cruelty to wildlife was exposed. The rural location of wetlands across public game reserves and private property, coupled with the number of licenced shooters, makes effective monitoring impossible. So, for as long as shooting is permitted, individual animals will suffer greatly, as will species as a whole.

Here is just some of what was documented during the 2023 ‘shooting season’ in Victoria:

• Ducks illegally shot, including threatened species and non ‘game’ species
• Shooters failing to retrieve ducks they had wounded, instead leaving them on the water to die from their injuries
• Shooters failing to kill birds whom they had wounded, instead leaving them to die from their injuries in canoes, hanging from cartridge belts, or allowing them to drown
• Shooters continually seen using an ineffective and cruel technique to try to kill ducks, called ‘windmilling’ (swinging them around by their heads)

Inquiry’s record-breaking response never before seen by the Parliament of Victoria

Several thousands of caring Victorians – many of them Animals Australia supporters – have tirelessly opposed ‘recreational’ shooting each year. Finally, after countless emails, letters, phone calls and submissions, our voices were heard. Earlier in the year, the Victorian Government appointed a Select Committee (made up of 9 Members of the Legislative Council) to inquire into, and report on, a broad range of elements (terms of reference) relating to ‘recreational’ shooting.

During the consultation process, the Inquiry into Victoria’s recreational native bird hunting arrangements received more than 10,000 submissions; the most ever received in response to a Victorian inquiry. In addition to written submissions, the committee held public hearings to consider the voices of key stakeholders, including shooting associations, regional communities, and animal protection organisations – Animals Australia gave evidence on behalf of the waterbirds who have suffered or been killed for this bloodsport, and those who face this unnecessary fate in the future.

Considering the information gathered through submissions and the hearings, the all-party committee has now presented its report to Parliament. Their findings included:

• Thousands of ducks would continue to suffer each year even if measures were taken to study and reduce wounding rates
• There is evidence that inhumane methods of killing ducks continue to be used by shooters on Victorian wetlands
• There are inherent difficulties within the agency currently charged with overseeing duck shooting- the Game Management Authority-  and these cannot be rectified without a significant investment in resourcing
• Duck shooting season depletes the resources of the GMA,  putting the welfare of other animals who are hunted at risk during this time
• It is difficult to access consistent and reliable information on all public areas where bird hunting can occur. The vast land area where bird shooting can occur across the state makes it ‘improbable’ that the GMA can effectively enforce compliance with the law
• There is little data available on the financial benefits of duck hunting in Victoria
• That the government should fund and support increased conservation and restoration projects in Victoria

What happens now?

We are one step away from seeing duck shooting banned – the Premier will now consider the Committee’s report and make a decision on the future of ‘recreational’ bird shooting in the state. More than 30 years have passed since duck shooting was first banned in an Australian state – if the recommendations are accepted in full, this would bring Victoria into line with WA, NSW and QLD. Most importantly, it would spare hundreds of thousands of gentle native birds from being killed and maimed for ‘fun’ each year.

The shooting lobby is a minority – yet it is vocal. We do not know when a decision will be made, but for Victoria’s waterbirds, we know which decision must be made. To ensure it is one of compassion and respect for wildlife, let’s our collective voice and call on the Premier to accept the committee’s recommendation and legislate an end to duck shooting in Victoria once and for all.