Wednesday, 22 February 2023

Duck hunting

Sam HIBBINS (Prahran) (09:58): An overwhelming majority of Victorians want to see duck shooting outlawed.

A member: Boo.

Sam HIBBINS: That’s right – boo to duck shooting; I concur with the member below me. More than two-thirds of Victorians agree that duck shooting should be banned. It is a practice that has no place in Victoria. It is cruel and results in the senseless slaughter of thousands of waterbirds every year. With climate change and drought conditions destroying habitat, waterbird numbers are already well below average and in long-term decline.

In Victoria the government continues to approve a new shooting season every year, ignoring the science, ignoring the community. The Premier has declared that this is a legitimate recreational activity. The wounding, the maiming and the killing of these birds has no place in our state. The Victorian Greens and I have been calling for an end to duck shooting for well over a decade. It is now time for the government to do the right thing. Duck shooting has already been banned in New South Wales, Queensland and Western Australia, and I truly hope that finally this year Victoria will follow suit. It is a senseless and cruel practice. It belongs in the past. On behalf of Victorians and the members of the Prahran community who I know oppose this practice, I implore the government to make this happen.