Hunting Bill Should be Ditched

Wednesday, 06 March 2002 10:00

A peak environment group has warned that a bill endorsed by Bob Carr and coming before parliament next week will allow vast areas of public and private land to be declared exclusively available for recreational hunting and virtually give hunters, shooters, pig doggers and other blood sport lovers unlimited powers to carry out their sport".

Total Environment Centre natural areas campaigner Fran Kelly said the Game Bill of NSW 2002 was "the equivalent to handing over public land management to the tens of thousands of gun owners and recreational hunters out there and creating a Department of Hunting and Shooting with Agriculture Minister Richard Amery at its head".

"The Bill undermines pest management programs, encourages animal cruelty, amends and weakens other Acts and agencies, and puts the powers, control and regulation of hunting opportunities into the hands of hunters" said Ms Kelly.

"Minister Amery - the new Minister for Hunting has handed over huge public funding, resources, powers and opportunities to hunters and shooters at the behest of hunting groups, and Shooters Party MLC John Tingle" said Ms Kelly "No wonder the National Party are declaring to its constituents that the Labor Party has stolen its policy,"

"There is no reason or need for this Act other than to provide any private or public land and moving targets for the tens of thousands of blood sport enthusiasts to do what they want. The only land so far excluded are national parks and shooting groups and the National Party are already lobbying for those to be opened up"

"This Act is a pathetic cowardly piece of legislation, that was obviously initiated, and drawn up by shooters and hunters aided by a Minister who either has lost the plot or had a gun held at his head" said Ms Kelly

"No matter how much Amery wimps on about it doing no harm, the facts are there in the Act. Millions of ordinary NSW citizens would be shocked to also learn that their Premier has endorsed such an Act. They have every right to get angry and to demand to know what is going on," said Ms Kelly,