A LAST-MINUTE court bid to prevent hunters from descending on Victorian wetlands and shooting ducks was unsuccessful, prompting reports of a dozen shooters visiting Lake Connewarre on Wednesday, March 16.<\/p>\n
The Federal Court’s Justice Helen Rofe dismissed two emergency injunctions brought by the Coalition Against Duck Shooting (CADS) seeking a stop to the season, the first on Tuesday last week and the second on Friday, March 18.<\/p>\n
Each was dismissed on similar grounds of failing to meet standards for an urgent injunction, but Laurie Levy from the anti-hunting group said a full Federal Court hearing was now expected in coming months and could put a halt to future seasons if successful.<\/p>\n
“Whilst we can’t stop this season going ahead, we may be able to stop future seasons going ahead under the EPBC Act (Environment Protection Biodiversity Conservation),” Mr Levy said.<\/p>\n
“Someone has to take responsibility for native water birds, the Victorian government doesn’t do that, the federal government doesn’t do that.”<\/p>\n
CADS argue that before the state government can call a duck shooting season, it must check with the federal government as to what species are present in the wetlands, primarily those protected under the Ramsar convention.<\/p>\n
“That’s our understanding of it, but that’s never happened and never will happen because the federal government will try and pass off duck shooting as a state issue, they don’t want any involvement in it,” Mr Levy said.<\/p>\n
If they did, My Levy said, authorities would have had to acknowledge that several threatened species such as the blue-winged shoveler and hardhead were present in the Ramsar protected wetlands and at risk of being shot.<\/p>\n
“Within the first hour of the season opening, we brought out a female Australasian blue-wing, then a male in the next hour,” Mr Levy said of the Wildlife Victoria volunteers present at Kerang.<\/p>\n
“In the afternoon we took out another blue-wing and then a hardhead. That job of looking after native water birds, for 37 years, has been done by volunteer members of public putting their lives on the line.<\/p>\n
“This should be a government department doing this job, but they don’t, so we have to.<\/p>\n
“It’s a terrible job, rips you apart just seeing the suffering these birds are going through just so shooters can have a bit of fun out there.”<\/p>\n
Animal Justice Party MP Andy Meddick described the season opening as “a fizzer” after spotting between 10-12 shooters at Lake Conewarre on Wednesday last week.<\/p>\n
“It backs up what we’ve been saying for years that it’s not even popular for shooters, it should be banned like in WA, Queensland and NSW,” Mr
\nMeddick said.<\/p>\n
A spokesperson for the Game Management Authority (GMA) said a person alleged to have shot a threatened species has been identified, and it is reviewing further footage from the first weekend of the 2022 season for other potential breaches.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A LAST-MINUTE court bid to prevent hunters from descending on Victorian wetlands and shooting ducks was unsuccessful, prompting reports of a dozen shooters visiting Lake Connewarre on Wednesday, March 16. The Federal Court’s Justice Helen Rofe dismissed two emergency injunctions brought by the Coalition Against Duck Shooting (CADS) seeking a stop to the season, the […]<\/p>\n