The ADA is questioning why the NSW government needed to suspend public land hunting to deliver improvements to the administrative and governance functions of the Game Council, as suggested in the Dunn report.
“The legitimacy and safety record of public land hunting in NSW was never in doubt,” ADA national president David Voss said.
“The Dunn report makes no mention of the need to suspend or dismantle the current arrangements for public land hunting to remediate the perceived back office shortcomings of the Game Council.
“The ADA will be watching closely to ensure that the transition to DPI delivers the bureaucratic improvements promised as a result of this decision, and that any changes are limited to those absolutely necessary in order to address the specific issues raised by Dunn.
“Any divergence from that scope will simply prove what many of our members suspect; that the report was just a smokescreen to further some other agenda. The honest and law-abiding hunters who have contributed their time and money to the NSW government in good faith via an R license have not been afforded a fair go.
“Given the enviable safety record enjoyed by the 20,000+ hunters operating in NSW state forests, we believe there is no need to change the current access arrangements.
“Although not widely reported, Dunn acknowledged the good work carried out by the Game Council in the last 10 years. With a reported gross regional product of $58.9 million in 2012-13, hunting provided a welcome boost to the economies of regional NSW. The opportunity cost (both social and environmental) resulting from the temporary suspension of hunting in state forests should be kept to an absolute minimum by those in Macquarie Street.
“The Australian Deer Association has a proud history of working with government and the private sector to deliver practical deer management outcomes. The ADA looks forward to assisting the Game Board and DPI to meet their new obligations.”
The Australian Deer Association (ADA) is a national membership based organisation which has been actively lobbying for the effective management of wild deer since 1969. ADA continues to advocate that deer hunting arrangements and deer management policy should be evaluated on research and evidence. More information can be found at www.austdeer.com.au.
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