Right: two boys pose with their catch of ducks at the edge of Lake Reeve in Gippsland in the 1920s. (photo: Museum of Victoria).
Background information
(The following information is an edited version of that supplied by the Victorian Department of Sustainability and Environment at http://www.land.vic.gov.au/DSE/nrenrt.nsf/LinkView/DA3E15465FED1BB7CA257376001DA17FC1DB2757E23C4965CA257376001BB03F#1
Information has also been drawn from a Ballarat Courier editorial which can be read at
http://www.thecourier.com.au/news/opinion/editorial/general/full-lakes-means-its-open-season-on-duck-hunting/2046018.aspx)
Current status of duck hunting in Australia
Recreational duck hunting in Australia is managed with the intention of maintaining game bird species at sustainable levels. Authorities set bag limits and season dates in an attempt to ensure that hunting does not threaten the conservation status of any game species.
Recreational duck hunting is permitted in Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania and the Northern Territory. However, recreational duck hunting is not permitted in the Australian Capital Territory, Western Australia, New South Wales and Queensland, although some ducks may be shot under pest management programs.
Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania require that all hunters pass a waterfowl identification test before they are permitted to hunt ducks. This is intended to ensure that all licensed duck hunters can adequately identify game and non-game water birds while in the field. Hunters should contact the wildlife authority in the state or territory that they wish to hunt to find out what the legal requirements are, before entering the field.
Hunters may incur heavy penalties for shooting non-game species including: fines; seizure of firearms and/or equipment; loss of licence; and, in some instances, jail sentences.
States and territories that allow recreational duck hunting declare in legislation which species are considered game. To be declared game, species are generally common and occur in large numbers. The species declared vary from state to state.
Immediate past history of duck hunting in Australia
For the best part of a decade the issue has been dormant, with the drought reducing water levels and duck numbers to the point where most hunting seasons have been shortened or cancelled altogether.
Shooters have also diminished in number. Many gun owners handed in their weapons as part of the former Howard government's amnesty invoked after the Port Arthur tragedy. Others appear to have found the lack of shooting opportunities enough to give up the sport.
Despite reduced numbers, the shooters' lobby still remains influential, particularly in rural areas where the new Victorian Coalition government holds many seats.