Victoria’s kangaroo cull quota increased for 2023 period

Victoria’s kangaroo cull quota is creating friction in the upper house between a Shooters MP and Animal Justice MP.

More than 50,000 extra kangaroos can be culled this year compared to 2022 with the Victorian Government lifting its quota.

A Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning document, made public during the New Year holiday but dating from November, ­detailed how many animals could be killed and turned into pet food under the commercial kangaroo harvesting program.

The DELWP document recommends the number of grey kangaroos culled for meat consumption increase to 166,730 for 2023, up 30 per cent from last year.

Victoria’s kangaroo cull numbers have skipped up by 50,000. Photo: Adam Head

The number of permits handed out to landholders to shoot kangaroos on their properties is set to rise by 19 per cent to 69,600.

The overall quota of kangaroos to be culled statewide has increased by 27 per cent – from 185,850 in 2022 to 236,350 in 2023.

Upper house MPs Georgie Purcell, representing the Animal Justice Party for northern Victoria, and Jeff Bourman, representing the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party for eastern Victoria, are naturally sharply opposed on the issue.

Mr Bourman said Victorian farmers needed the means to tackle encroaching kangaroo numbers.

“The kangaroo numbers across Victoria are out of control. This is the right setting to get those numbers back down,” the Eastern Victoria MP said.

“Where do the vegans think their vegetables come from? If we don’t control kangaroo numbers, then crops of Australian vegies will be decimated, causing veg prices to rise.”

Ms Purcell said the timing of the report’s release was an “attempt to cover up the government-sanctioned cruelty that goes on under the cover of darkness”.

“In a classic ‘Take out the trash’ move, this shameful ­decision was released at a time the government hoped nobody would be paying attention,” the Northern Victoria MP said.

“Plans to increase kangaroo quotas put our native icons at risk of being shot to extinction, the same icons the tourism industry relies on and proudly promotes to the world.”

Shooting Industry Foundation of Australia chief executive James Walsh said kangaroo numbers were at “plague proportions”.

“You only have to drive the roads of regional Victoria. There are dead roos everywhere... it’s creating a real road hazard,” he said.

Wildlife Victoria chief executive Lisa Palma said the new kill numbers were “appalling”.

“We need to protect the survivors of this natural disaster and not kill them,” she said.

A government spokeswoman said the harvest figure was guided by modelling which recommended control of kangaroos should not exceed 10 per cent of the state population.