Hunters face tougher penalties but will still be allowed to kill ducks

Hunters will face mandatory Aboriginal cultural awareness training and tougher penalties as part of a plan to allow duck and quail hunting to continue in Victoria against the recommendation of a parliamentary committee.

Announcing the changes, first flagged by The Age on Sunday evening, Outdoor Recreation Minister Steve Dimopoulos confirmed the 2024 duck hunting season would begin on Wednesday, April 10 and finish on Wednesday, June 5.

A duck hunter at Connewarre Wetland, south-west of Melbourne, last year. Credit: Justin McManus

“We accept that hunting is a legitimate activity that many thousands of Victorians enjoy,” Dimopoulos said.

“However, we will be making some changes to make it safer, more sustainable, more responsible.”

Lead shot will be banned for quail hunting alongside the stronger compliance and education measures, due to come into effect by 2025. The government has also delayed hunting start times to 8am each day of this year’s season and introduced a bag limit of six ducks per day.

Asked what the training measures would look like, Dimopoulus cited shooter accuracy and greater recognition of traditional owners’ land management.

“Marksmanship proficiency is really critical,” he said. “At the moment, you can be a hunter and the only test you have to meet is a waterfowl identification test.”

“Hunters [will also] have to go through Aboriginal cultural training. And I don’t mean just one lot. I mean regularly.

“I’m committed to working with wildlife groups and hunter groups to get the right balance there. But my initial reaction is, to be honest, is sitting in front of a computer won’t cut it.”

Premier Jacinta Allan, who has among the largest proportion of registered duck and quail hunters in her electorate of any Labor MP, was not at the press conference. A government spokeswoman said on Monday the premier was busy with cabinet committee meetings.

When asked if the decision to retain duck hunting was a captain’s call by the premier, Dimopoulos said it was a consensus decision but would not go into further detail owing to cabinet rules.

Animal Justice Party MP Georgie Purcell on Monday reiterated her threat to vote against Labor in the upper house more often. She labelled cabinet’s decision the “ultimate betrayal” to voters and everyone who took part in the recent parliamentary inquiry.

“I’m looking forward to when the government comes to me … and needs my vote for something,” Purcell told radio station 3AW.

The crossbench MP later told reporters: “I’m going to be pissed off about this for a long time.”

Labor does not have a majority in the Legislative Council and needs the support of the Greens and at least two other crossbenchers – usually the two representatives from the Legalise Cannabis Party – to pass legislation opposed by the Coalition. Government sources have previously described Purcell’s vote as their “spare”.

One upper house Labor MP, speaking on the condition of anonymity to speak freely, said: “Watch that space. It will be interesting to see what the crossbench do.”

Sporting Shooters Association of Australia spokesman Barry Howlett said he was pleased by Monday’s announcement.

“We’re reassured that the government has listened to the evidence and has outlined a clear path forward,” he said.

Shooters, Fishers and Farmers MP Jeff Bourman said cabinet’s decision was made possible with the help of some unions and Labor MPs.

An upper house inquiry, established last year, recommended in August that Victoria put an end to its duck hunting seasons. Western Australia banned duck hunting in 1990, NSW followed suit in 1995 and Queensland banned the practice in 2005.

While last year’s inquiry was under way, a bloc of trade unions with links to Labor publicly campaigned against a ban. They alleged a ban would form part of an ongoing effort to limit outdoor recreation enjoyed by their members such as boating, camping and fishing.

The Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) was one of the organisations opposed to the ban, with leader John Setka telling 3AW radio on Monday that the hobby had been passed down for generations.

“I just think some of this is … wokey politics, there’s a small minority always calling for something, and people pandering to them.

“It’s good to see the government has listened to the voters.”

He said the unions would have taken industrial action on government projects if the ban had gone ahead.

Opposition Leader John Pesutto said on Monday that hunting was a sustainable practice.

“Jacinta Allan should have just sided with us in the first place,” Pesutto said. “What we’re seeing is a government that makes it up as it goes along. It commissions a parliamentary inquiry, pretends to listen to it, then completely ignores it. We’ve seen this show before.”

Greens leader Samantha Ratnam accused the state government of siding with the shooting lobby instead of progressive Victorians.

“How spineless do you have to be to go against the expert advice provided to an inquiry you set up? Everyone knows duck shooting has had its day,” Ratnam said. “Everyone except Labor, that is.”

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