Victoria’s wild dog containment date down to the wire

Decision day for wild dog management across Victoria is rapidly approaching, with government keeping mum — for now.

Decision day for wild dog management across Victoria will go down to the wire, with the Agriculture Minister declining to nominate a date.

Back in 2018, a five-year order was enforced by the Victorian government, declaring dingoes and wild dog hybrids as “unprotected” across eastern and northwest Victoria.

The order is due to expire on October 1.

A decision on issuing a new order to extend the unprotected status of wild dogs or dingoes rests with both Ms Tierney and Environment Minister Ingrid Stitt.

When asked on Friday if the order would be extended, Ms Tierney said “there will be an announcement around the first of October.”

“We’ve been looking at this issue for a while,” she said.

“We’ve been working with traditional owners, farmers and everyone else that’s got a stake in this issue. I don’t have anything further to say at this point in time but obviously, we’ll continue to work on this issue.

Wild dogs shot and hung near Cabunga Station at Omeo.

In June, Victorian Farmers Federation livestock councillor Peter Star raised concerns the five-year order would not be extended.

A cessation of the order would stop the state’s 18 wild dog controllers from baiting and trapping wild dogs on public land within 3km of private property boundaries.

“If they don’t renew that order we’ll have wild dogs everywhere attacking everything,” Mr Star said in June.

In June 2020, Victoria’s Wild Dog Management Advisory Committee, which advised government in various forms for more than two decades, was terminated.