Thursday, 15 August 2024

Wild dog control

Bev McARTHUR (Western Victoria) (02:01): (1066) My adjournment matter for the Minister for Environment concerns the dingo unprotection order 2023, due to expire on 1 October 2024. The order is the cornerstone of Victoria’s wild dog and dingo control program. It states that in the year following its gazettal substantial and informed consultation and further research, including population surveys, will be carried out. Despite this and with a regrettable and disrespectful lack of consultation, the order was revoked in north-west Victoria on 14 March this year. The action I seek from the minister is a statement on the progress of that year of substantial and informed consultation and a full public release of the further research and population studies conducted. The wild dog control program (WDCP) has successfully reduced livestock attacks by 71 per cent since 2012 and successfully managed, without entirely exterminating, wild dog populations. Professional Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA) controllers work with farmers on private land and a small portion of public land – just 1.6 million of the 4.7 million hectares. The other 3 million hectares of national parks and state forests are uncontrolled. It remains an essential program. If abandoned, the mental and financial anguish of stock attacks for local farmers and indeed domestic pets as the wild dog population expands would be immense.

The north-east wild dog action group recently sent an impressive letter to you, Minister, and while lengthy, I would urge you and your department staff to read it with an open mind. It puts a reasonable case for sensible control measures and outlines how important they are for livestock farmers, as well as the trauma which would result from ending the WDCP. The expense and inadequacy of nonlethal control measures were raised too, despite farmers spending sometimes tens of thousands of dollars to try to make them work. Finally, they ask for a longer extension. Farmers are busy people who do not have time and finances to be lobbying just so they can be heard. We ask the government to reinstate a five-year wild dog control program so that we are not put through this stress annually and there is stability and continuity of DEECA staff, who are so essential to this program. I was also interested to read the supportive letter provided to the group by the Duduroa Dhargal traditional owners, who praised the WDCP, saying it offers a balance between limiting the impacts of wild dogs on livestock production while allowing dingoes to remain undisturbed across much of our country. Minister, I urge you to listen to these groups.