Introduction to the media issue: Should duck hunting be banned across Australia?
Video clip at right: On February 25, 2023, 7 News televised a report detailing the objections of both conservationists and duck hunters to the Andrews government's announcement of a curtailed duck season.
The Issue at a Glance
What they said...'Regardless of the reduced season length... approximately 87,000 birds will be killed during the 2023 Victorian duck hunting season and up to 35,000 wounded and left to die.'
Dr Liz Walker, the chief executive officer of RSPCA Victoria
'If I choose to eat a wild duck rather than a chicken from the supermarket, on average I'd bet the duck is likely to have suffered the least.'
John Kentish, a member of the Conservation and Hunting Alliance of South Australia (CHASA)
The issue at a glance
On February 24, 2023, the Victorian government announced that the state's annual duck hunting season would open on April 26 and end on 30 May, with a bag limit of four birds a day.
The Victorian government has also announced that it will establish a legislative council select committee to examine recreational native bird hunting in Victoria.
Conservationists have criticised the government's decision to allow duck hunting in 2023, while duck hunters have reacted adversely to the season being nearly a month shorter than the 2022 season and allowing fewer birds to be shot per day.
On January 17 it was announced that South Australia's duck hunting season would begin on March 18 and close on Sunday, June 25, making it five weeks longer than the Victorian season.
However, on January 23, 2023, South Australia's Environment Minister, Susan Close, announced the government would call a review into duck hunting in the state. The continuation of duck hunting in south-eastern mainland Australia is about to be re-examined. Hunting organisations and conservationists are marshalling their arguments in readiness to make submissions to the Victorian and South Australian governments.