Duck hunting call made after marathon three-hour cabinet meeting on Monday

Jacinta Allan says her husband had no influence over the decision to continue duck hunting in Victoria as she shut the door on revisiting the government’s stance on the controversial issue.

Jacinta Allan has shot down claims her husband influenced a decision to continue duck hunting in Victoria.

The Premier, who has been accused by some of her own MPs of making a “captain’s call”, also shut the door to revisiting the government’s stance on the highly contentious debate.

The decision has enraged animal welfare groups but has been celebrated by shooting organisations and a group of powerful construction unions, who had threatened to walk off the job if the annual hunt was banned.

After a marathon three-hour cabinet meeting on Monday, the government announced it would ignore a Labor-led parliamentary inquiry’s main recommendation to end the blood sport.

Instead, duck hunters will face more restrictions including a bag limit of six ducks, mandatory training from 2025 and harsher penalties for breaches.

Hunting start times will also be pushed back to 8am.

The blood sport has already been banned in New South Wales, Queensland and Western Australia and a Victorian parliament inquiry called for it to be outlawed from this year.

Jacinta Allan has been slammed by some of her own colleagues over the duck hunting decision. Picture: David Crosling

Ms Allan’s husband, Yorick Piper, has previously been pictured with Field and Game representatives, and is understood to be active in the shooting community.

Ms Allan on Tuesday rejected questions about whether that involvement, as well as her Bendigo East electorate being home to a high proportion of licensed shooters, clouded her decision to green light shooting.

“My husband barracks for the Hawthorn Football Club, I don’t. I don’t follow my husband’s view on all things and I’m sure if he was here, he would confirm that,” she said.

“I don’t think it’s appropriate to reflect on the views of people’s partners informing their decision.

“I have had a long held view on this issue. I’ve been around the issue for the best part of 30 years.

“I’ve been consistent on this view for the entire time I’ve been a member of parliament.

“We’re in a modern age where I think it’s expected that men and women who serve in Victorian parliament come to the table with their own views, not those of their husbands.”

Ms Allan said she has never gone duck hunting but believes it to be a “legitimate recreational activity”.

She said ministers were given the opportunity to “discuss the matter at length” during the cabinet meeting.

“Every cabinet discussion is robust because it should be. We are making decisions that affect the Victorian community and this one was no different,” she said.

After the call on Monday, cabinet secretary Steve McGhie said while he accepted cabinet’s decision, he was “disappointed” that a ban didn’t occur.

“I’ll continue to campaign against the hunting of native waterbirds,” he said.

Duck hunting has already been banned in New South Wales, Queensland and Western Australia.

Several Labor MPs, including one minister, speaking on the condition of anonymity, slammed the decision.

“Rank and file party members are furious and MPs are receiving angry calls and emails from constituents,” one said.

Ahead of the meeting, Ministers Lizzie Blandthorn and Melissa Horne both expressed their strong opposition to the sport.

“I remain vehemently opposed to duck hunting … I don’t support it and I don’t intend to support it,” Ms Blandthorn said.

However, other Labor MPs, also speaking anonymously, said they were supportive of the move.

Duck hunters will face more restrictions including a bag limit of six ducks.

Outdoor Recreation Minister Steve Dimopoulos faced media to reveal that the government would accept seven of the eight recommendations made by the inquiry.

“We accept that duck hunting is a legitimate activity,” he said.

“More than that, it supports regional communities and economies.”

The move will also help Labor avoid thousands of tradies walking off the job after the Big Build Group has previously pledged to campaign against a duck hunting ban using a $2m war chest.

While minimising unrest among the unions, the government now faces headaches in passing legislation in the upper house with the outcome catching the four Greens MPs and Animal Justice Party MP Georgie Purcell off guard.

Ms Purcell, who has been campaigning for a ban, said she would stop working with the government, calling the decision “gutless and spineless”.

“Jacinta Allan and Steve Dimopoulos have blood on their hands,” she said.

Animal welfare groups were also dismayed.

RSPCA Victoria CEO Liz Walker said: “We are devastated by this decision. Our concern has always been for incredibly high wounding rates of ducks.”

A spokeswoman from the Regional Victorians Opposed to Duck Shooting group questioned whether the government had struck a deal with the unions and gun lobby.

“Not sure who this government is representing, but it’s not the majority of Victorians. This is a frightening day for democracy,” she said.

Shooting, Fishers and Farmers MP Jeff Bourman said the changes will provide a future for hunting, which is a “win for regional Victoria and hunters”.

Sporting Shooters Association of Australia Victoria’s David Laird said: “It is really on us as hunters now to show the government and the community that their trust is well placed.”

Opposition agriculture spokeswoman Emma Kealy said it was a common sense response.

The 2024 duck shooting season will begin on April 10 and end on June 5. Hunters will be able to shoot six ducks per day.