Labor MPs join Animals Australia in duck protest


This weekend, two¬†Labor MPs will join Animals Australia in protesting against hunters’ rights to harvest their own free range meat.

Duck hunters who vote for the federal Labor party might like to reconsider their political bent in light of the fact that two federal Labor MPs will join protesters on Victoria’s wetlands to demonstrate against duck hunting, which has been given the go-ahead by the Andrews Labor Government in Victoria.

According to an article in the Herald Sun, Kelvin Thomson and Melissa Parke have slammed the state Labor Government for allowing the “senseless and unnecessary slaughter” of waterbirds.

In a move that¬†shows how dangerously uninformed these two Labor MPs are,¬†they will join activists from extreme animal rights group Animals Australia on the wetlands when the season opens on Saturday, creating a situation in which Federal Labor will protest against Victorian State Labor policy. Sporting Shooter notes that Animals Australia has previously been also very damaging to Australian agriculture…so presumably these Labor MPs those activities¬†as well.

Animals Australia has hired shooting champions Russell and Lauryn Mark to run a clay target shooting event next weekend to give “native waterbirds the protection they need and shooters the thrill they seek”. (Ed. This event has now been cancelled due a spectacular lack of interest, and the booking fee donated to the WET Trust administered by Field and Game Australia).

This news comes as the Game Management Authority announced five wetlands in Kerang, Boundary Bend and Gunbower would be closed to protect “rare and threatened species”.

Animals Australia campaign director Lyn White said that was “not good enough”.

“The environmental evidence demanded nothing less than a suspension of the duck shooting season,” she said.

Mr Thomson said duck hunting turned wetlands into a “war zone” and blasted his state Labor colleagues for refusing to ban it.

 “Continuing to allow this senseless and unnecessary slaughter in the name of sport is completely at odds with my personal values as well as those of the vast majority of Victorians,” Mr Thomson said.

“The sports that we cherish as Victorians such as AFL and cricket are because two sides face off in an honourable contest with an equal chance of victory. There is nothing honourable about shooting defenceless birds out of the sky.”

Ms Parke praised the “courageous actions” of activists who cared for maimed birds on wetlands (Ed. By stealing them from hunters and presenting them to be killed).

“If I can assist them in some small way this year, that is the least that I can do,” Ms Parke said.

She said duck hunting was banned in several states and she was shocked it was still allowed in Victoria.

Agriculture Minister Jaala Pulford’s spokesman Tom Whitty said duck hunting was “a legitimate recreational activity” and an “important contributor to many small rural communities”.

“The Victorian Government is closely monitoring seasonal conditions and will enforce any wetland closures where necessary,” Mr Whitty said.

Ms White said she hoped hunters would instead attend the clay target shooting event, run by the Marks’ company Go Shooting (Ed. Nope, no one wanted to go).

“We are just trying to save waterbirds, we are not trying to turn duck hunters vegetarian,” Ms White said.

Russell Mark, an Olympic gold medallist, said the event “wasn’t (his) idea” and he had been “hammered” by shooters about it.

‚ÄúI won‚Äôt be there … My company will run it and we‚Äôll run a good day,‚Äù he said.

‚ÄúIt‚Äôs probably the only booking I ever had that I was going to reject … I don‚Äôt think it‚Äôll work.‚Äù

“But I respect Animals Australia’s right to have a protest any way they see fit except walking on the wetlands because that’s dangerous for them.”

 

 

 


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