Tuesday, 30 April 2024

Constituency questions

Lowan electorate

Emma KEALY (Lowan) (14:48): (590) My question is to the Minister for Environment. What penalties would apply to a landholder taking or killing the species Canis familiaris on their own private land for a legitimate purpose, namely, to protect against injury or damage to livestock? Recently the wild dog management zone in north-west Victoria was revoked. As part of that farmers were provided with no pathway to protect their own stock. Since the revocation of this management zone – and I will remind the house that this is only the perimeter of the zone, not the internals of this zone – we have seen extensive dingo and wild dog attacks on stock. I have seen terrible photos of live lambs who have had nips taken out of them, their intestines dragging along the ground. It is a horrific death. There is no ability for farmers to get an authority to control wildlife. There is no funding for fencing. There is no ability to manage these wild dogs or dingoes on their land. I therefore ask – (Time expired)