The Game Management Authority is accused of of turning a blind eye to illegal behaviour by shooters while bullying wildlife rescuers and anti-hunting campaigners.
Victoria's duck hunting watchdog has been accused of turning a blind eye to illegal behaviour by shooters while bullying wildlife rescue rs and anti-hunting campaigners. Animal Justice Party MP Georgie Purcell is calling on the state government to scrap its plan to merge the Game Management Authority with the Victorian Fisheries Authority.
Victoria's hunting watchdog has been accused of turning a blind eye to illegal hunting behaviour while bullying anti-duck shooting campaigners. The Game Management Authority is the current regulator of hunting in Victoria but is set to be merged with the Victorian Fisheries Authority to create Outdoor Recreation Victoria. Protesters and wildlife rescuers are so worried by the alleged unfair treatment that they have made formal complaints to the state's integrity agencies, including the state's anti-corruption commission.
On its Facebook page, the GMA has posted photos and the hometown locations of rescuers it has successfully fined for breaching duck hunting rules, leading to abuse and even death threats against animal activists. In one case, a man from Maldon, who the ABC has decided not to name, received a threat he would be drowned.
"It would be irresponsible not to be scared — you're dealing with men with firearms," the man said. The GMA said it used its website and social media to raise awareness of public safety, hunting laws and regulations, and the penalties issued by the courts for compliance outcomes.
At a March meeting in Bendigo hosted by Field & Game — a club and lobby group for hunters — a GMA officer told hunters not to denigrate protesters, to make prosecution of rescuers easier.
"It's very nice if it looks all prim and proper on our end and we can make the protesters look like the fool," he said in a recording provided to the ABC. He also used the term "us hunters" when imploring shooters to follow the rules and to not give any animal activists any "ammunition".
The officer also explained to those at the meeting that while it was great to see children at hunts, it was against the law, unless the children had a licence. In Victoria, children aged 12 to 17 can obtain a Victorian Game Licence, while those under 12 are not permitted to use a firearm, hunt or take game.
"We are never going to give a kid a fine. We are never going to give you any kind of ticket, but we have to be seen as fair and reasonable"If you do have a kid out that is unlicensed, we'll probably just ask you to take them off .
" The GMA said all its staff were required to act impartially in accordance with the code of conduct for Victorian public sector employees. Field & Game Australia chief executive Lucas Cooke said the organisation supported any model that improved regulation of outdoor regulation and rejected criticism that promotion and compliance were incompatible.
"The important issue is not whether those functions sit within the same broader structure, but whether compliance decisions are made independently, consistently and in accordance with the law,'' Mr Cooke said. "It is apparent that some of the items being raised are not new. They reflect the same conspiracy-style claims that are regularly advanced by extreme anti-hunting activists — namely, that lawful hunters are somehow being protected, while protesters are unfairly targeted,'' Mr Cooke said.
"Disagreeing with a lawful activity does not give anyone the right to obstruct it, intimidate participants, interfere with compliance operations, or create unsafe situations on public wetlands. "Field & Game said education of its members was crucial and should not be should be misrepresented as favouritism. In 2017, the state government commissioned an independent report into GMA's performance, which found the body was failing to deliver on its responsibility to enforce the hunting laws.
George Bucchorn quit working as a compliance officer for the Game Management Authority in 2018, alleging he was constantly stonewalled from investigating complaints about hunters. He has continued to observe the hunting season and said he believed the behaviour of the GMA had gotten worse towards rescuers over the past two years, accusing them of heavy-handed tactics and misrepresenting the law. Wildlife advocates say the GMA has changed tactics, even charging rescuers with injuring endangered birds that they have rescued.
Some said they were banned from wetlands because they were carrying nets that they were going to use to rescue injured ducks. One veteran rescuer, Helen Round, has lodged complaints with the state's anti-corruption commission over what she claims is targeted and unfair treatment by the GMA over many years.
In one case, Ms Round said officers tried to physically remove a body-worn camera from her, following a complaint from a shooter that she was abusive towards them — a claim she denies. Ms Round and other rescuers also said that when they provided intelligence to GMA officers it was ignored, fuelling allegations of "double standards" about which information the GMA would accept.
"They're serious about intimidating us, they are serious about trying to get as many prosecutions against us as they can. " GMA director of compliance and intelligence Zac Powell said the vast majority of compliance actions on wetlands were related to hunting offences. "Public safety laws are in place across specified hunting areas to provide a safe environment for everyone using the wetlands. As a regulator, public safety is a priority of our compliance work.
"There are fears the new Outdoor Recreation Victoria will make it even harder for the regulator to be even-handed. The Victorian government said the merger would include strong regulatory responsibilities for game hunting and fisheries, while expanding their functions to play a critical role in promoting participation in outdoor recreation. Critics warn there is a clear conflict and are worried about the influence of the hunting lobby on Premier Jacinta Allan's government.
The Game Management Authority has been monitoring the duck hunting season but is being merged into a larger government organisation. Former GMA board member and veterinarian Bronwyn Orr said animal welfare suffered when promotion and compliance were run by the same authority.
"I have enormous concern whenever there is a view to merge promotion and regulation of an activity which potentially have could critical animal welfare effects,'' she said. "There is a constant conflict, a constant greyness of decision making because you have those two arms in one. "I cannot see how they can coexist particularly when it comes to government regulation, you have to have faith in the process and I can't see how that happens.
" Victorian Animal Justice Party MP Georgie Purcell accused the premier of being beholden to the gun lobby. "But, more importantly, Jacinta Allan must can her legislation to create Outdoor Recreation Victoria because that will give these very people even more extraordinary powers when they're already misusing them. ''"It is the fox guarding the hen house, and it's the very model that the government tried to stamp out,'' she said.
Minister for Outdoor Recreation Enver Erdogan said there were plenty of good examples where promotion and regulation worked, including the Victorian Fisheries Authority.
"Recreational hunters are required to comply with licensing requirements and the law at all times," he said. "We've increased the number of GMA officers from nine to 25 to ensure tougher compliance and greater protection of the environment. "
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