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2013/06: Are Victoria's new duck hunting regulations a mistake?
Introduction to the media issue
Video clip at right:A Channel 7 report on the opening of the duck hunting season in Victoria in 2012. If you cannot see this clip, it will be because video is blocked by your network. To view the clip, access from home or from a public library, or from another network which allows viewing of video clips.
What they said...
'Children and international visitors who are unlikely to be able to differentiate between native and non-native animals at a distance, will be more readily armed'
Dr. Siobhan O'Sullivan
'All members of the public who are on wetlands where duck hunting is permitted must ensure they are acting safely and legally. Safety is the number one priority'
Victorian Agricultural Minister, Mr Peter Walsh
The issue at a glance
On 11 September 2012, new regulations were introduced to establish the legal requirements for duck hunting in Victoria.
The Victorian State Government claimed that because of what it called 'significant public safety concerns', it was introducing new laws to keep protesters further away from hunting areas.
This move has been welcomed by Victoria's different shooters lobby groups, including the Sporting Shooters' Association (SSA); however, environmentalists and, in particular, the Coalition Against Duck Shooting (CADS) have been particularly opposed to the new regulations.