Minns government backs bill promoting hunting in NSW's state forests and crown land
The NSW premier, Chris Minns, has thrown his support behind a proposed Conservation Hunting Council, to the horror of environmental groups which warn of a repeat of the now-defunct Game Council.
The Game Council, which served as the licensing agency and regulating agency, resulted in more, not less, feral animals in public lands, particularly feral deer which came to be managed not as a pest but as a hunting species.
Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email
One difference from the previous regulatory regime is that hunting will not be permitted in NSW national parksbut will be in state forests and crown lands with a permit.
The Threatened Species council's chief executive Jack Gough said the bill would divert funding from effective control programs to hunters and would lock in state forests as 'de facto game parks and breeding grounds for pests'.
The authority would effectively become 'a taxpayer-funded propaganda vehicle for the shooting lobby' that could 'undermine the social licence for effective feral animal control nationally – particularly aerial shooting and baiting', he warned.
Environmental groups urged the premier to re-consider and be guided by the science, which they argue clearly demonstrates that recreational shooting is not as effective as evidence-based baiting and aerial shooting programs.
But with the Coalition also likely to support the latest hunting plan, the bill looks likely to be passed when NSW parliament resumes on 24 June.
The latest plan is something the Shooters and Fishers party have long pressed for.
'Recreational and conservation hunters are vital partners in controlling invasive species such as feral pigs, rabbits, foxes and wild deer in New South Wales,' Shooters MLC Robert Borsak said as he introduced the bill last week.
'Unlike sporadic and government-run management programs, which cost New South Wales millions of dollars each year, recreational and conservation hunters contribute over half a billion dollars to the New South Wales economy, mainly in regional and rural areas.' he said.
Minns has also floated introducing a bounty scheme, which is also strongly supported by the Shooters.
The government denies it has done a deal with the Shooters party to support other legislation, but it needs the two Shooter votes and others to pass legislation, when the Greens oppose bills.
Sign up to Breaking News Australia
Get the most important news as it breaks
after newsletter promotion
'It is not just coincidence that this radical expansion of recreational shooting rights in NSW is being supported by the government at the same time as the Minns Labor government is trying to cut injured workers off from their compensation payments,' said Greens upper house MP Sue Higginson.
The conservation hunting bill would create a new conservation hunting authority to represent the interests of hunters, make recommendations to the agriculture minister, promote research into 'game, feral and pest animal management issues' and into the benefits of hunting. It would also 'promote, develop and deliver educational courses regarding game animals'.
The authority would have eight members, while seven of those would have voting rights. Four of the voting members would be nominated by hunting organisations.
The bill proposes other changes, including enshrining a 'right to hunt' and recognition of hunting as a conservation management tool.
It would also require managers of some public lands – primarily state forests and travelling stock reserves and excluding national parks – to consider the impact on hunters of any land management activity.
James Trezise, the chief executive of the scientist-led Biodiversity Council, said evidence showed professional programs were most effective for controlling invasive species.
For example, he said feral pigs had been effectively eradicated from Kangaroo Island off South Australia through a multi-year dedicated control program using professional shooters. He also pointed to the NSW government's recent efforts in the Kosciuszko national park to use all tools available, including aerial shooting, to cull thousands of feral horses, deer and pigs.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Reuters
18 minutes ago
- Reuters
Australia lifts biosecurity curbs on US beef amid tariff talks
SYDNEY, July 24 (Reuters) - Australia lifted on Thursday strict biosecurity restrictions on beef imports from the U.S. after an extensive scientific and risk review, likely removing a key concern for U.S. President Donald Trump's administration over bilateral trade. Agriculture Minister Julie Collins said Australia was satisfied with the measures put in place by the United States to effectively manage biosecurity risks. "The U.S. Beef Imports Review has undergone a rigorous science and risk-based assessment over the past decade," Collins said in a statement. "The ... government will never compromise on biosecurity." News of Australia lifting the curbs was first reported by the Australian Financial Review. The report said Australia will use the easing of rules to argue its case for the United States to wind back 50% tariffs on steel and aluminium and Trump's threat to impose a 200% tariff on pharmaceuticals. Trump in April singled out the beef trade disparity after Australia's beef exports to the United States surged last year, reaching A$4 billion ($2.64 billion) amid a slump in U.S. beef production. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in April had ruled out relaxing Australia's strict biosecurity rules during tariff talks with the United States. Since 2003, Australia has curbed entry of U.S. beef after detecting bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or mad cow disease. It lifted some restrictions in 2019. Australia allows entry if the cattle were born, raised, and slaughtered in the United States, though few shippers can prove these requirements, as cattle frequently move between the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The United States has introduced more tracking methods since last year to identify and trace all cattle from Mexico and Canada to the farm and through the supply chain. Australia views its strict biosecurity rules as safeguarding its disease-free cattle, helping it preserve access to lucrative markets such as Japan and South Korea, while Australian beef is prized by U.S. fast-food chains for its lower fat content and competitive prices. ($1 = 1.5152 Australian dollars)
The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
Morning Mail: nations ‘have duty to curb fossil fuels', Epstein files furore continues, inside Gaza's starvation crisis
Morning everyone. After years of campaigning by Pacific activists and the Vanuatu government, the world's top court has ruled that countries could be made to pay reparations if they fail to take action on the climate crisis. We have a full report, plus scientists warn that the ongoing marine heatwave will hit wildlife as badly as the black summer fires. In other news, house prices are up in all eight capital cities. We have a heartbreaking dispatch from the frontline of Gaza's starvation crisis, and the latest on the Epstein files furore in the US. Ocean 'superhighway' | A global study of deep sea creatures called brittle stars shows linked ecosystems on a 'superhighway' reaching from southern Australia to the north Atlantic. Big bet | The bookmaker Betr generated more than half of its gambling profits from just 20 customers in January, according to a rival company which is the target of a takeover by Betr. Algal augury | Scientists warn the wildlife impacts of a marine heatwave that has driven a catastrophic algal bloom off South Australia are likely to be equivalent to those from the black summer bushfires. Capital gains | Australia's eight state and territory capital cities have posted simultaneous house price rises for the first time in four years. Freedom stalled | The Centre for Public Integrity has accused the Albanese government of having a poorer record than the Morrison government for producing documents for public scrutiny. 'Gaza is starving' | Our reporter in Gaza, Malak A Tantesh, writes today about the desperate situation in the territory as skeletal children fill hospital wards amid a worsening starvation crisis. 'These cases haunt me, they never leave my mind,' says one paediatrician. The head of the World Health Organization said the crisis was 'man-made' and aid organisations urged Israel to allow more aid into the territory. Dozens of former UK diplomats have urged the country's government to recognise the Palestinian state. Fossil fuel 'duty' | States have a legal duty to stop the production and consumption of fossil fuels, the world's top court has ruled, and could be ordered to pay reparations. The case follows years of campaigning by a group of Pacific island law students and the Pacific island nation of Vanuatu. Epstein block | A US judge on Wednesday denied a justice department bid to unseal grand jury transcripts related to the late financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in south Florida. Newly uncovered photos and video footage published by CNN show more links between the notorious paedophile Jeffrey Epstein and Donald Trump, including Epstein at Trump's wedding to Marla Maples in 1993. Meanwhile the Wall Street Journal is reporting that Trump's name appears in the Epstein files 'multiple times'. Macron suit | Emmanuel and Brigitte Macron are suing the rightwing American commentator Candace Owens for claims that the French president is controlled by the CIA and his wife is a man. UK | A surgeon from Cornwall who carried out hundreds of amputations has appeared in court accused of lying over how he lost his own legs and encouraging another man to remove the body parts of others. The many controversies of Mark Latham Chief political correspondent Tom McIlroy speaks to Reged Ahmad about how the latest controversy around Mark Latham has sparked a debate about whether his portrait should still hang in Parliament House. Sorry your browser does not support audio - but you can download here and listen $ A federal government program that gives a 30% subsidy on home batteries has sparked an 'off the charts' surge in installations with households on track to have 10,000MW of battery capacity by 2030 – equal to half of the current coal generation capacity, Graham Readfearn reports. One analyst says the boom 'completely destroys the business case for a gas turbine and also the high evening prices that coal generators rely on'. Six authors are in the running for the Miles Franklin book award, to be announced today. Joseph Steinberg runs the rule over the contenders, which include Julie Janson's sequel to her dramatisation of the lives of her Indigenous ancestors, murder stories by Fiona McFarlane, and Michelle de Kretser's novel Theory and Practice, set in 1980s Melbourne. Sign up to Morning Mail Our Australian morning briefing breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion Cricket | India made a solid start to the fourth Test in Manchester, ending the day on 264-4 after being put into bat – but their progress was marred by a broken foot for Rishabh Pant. Cycling | Jonathan Milan won a rain-soaked sprint finish in Valence to take his second stage win in this year's Tour de France as the backlash against 'arrogant' race leader Tadej Pogacar gathered momentum. Football | Spain and Germany battled it out for the right to play England in the final of the Women's Euros. Catch up with the action here. Labor branches are in revolt over the government's failure to take a tougher line on Israel, according to the Sydney Morning Herald. The Australian claims only three New Zealanders have enlisted in the ADF since people from the Five Eyes partners were invited to join. The man behind Brisbane's huge Queens Wharf development has been tasked with delivering 17 Olympic venues, the Courier Mail reports. Business | The board of Macquarie Bank faces a possible shareholder revolt over pay when its annual general meeting starts in Sydney at 10.30am. Sydney | Federal court judgment in Qatar strip-search case. Economy | Reserve Bank governor Michele Bullock will face questions about rate policy. If you would like to receive this Morning Mail update to your email inbox every weekday, sign up here, or finish your day with our Afternoon Update newsletter. You can follow the latest in US politics by signing up for This Week in Trumpland. And finally, here are the Guardian's crosswords to keep you entertained throughout the day. Until tomorrow. Quick crossword Cryptic crossword
The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
Scott Morrison tells US Australia risks going to sleep on China threat after diplomatic ‘charm and flattery'
The Chinese Communist party hopes Western democracies 'go to sleep on the threat' it poses to the international order, former prime minister Scott Morrison has told a congressional committee in the US. In a forthright appearance before the hawkish US House of Representatives select committee on the strategic competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist party, Morrison said China had changed diplomatic tack after he lost the 2022 election to Anthony Albanese. 'This included abandoning their economic and diplomatic bullying and coercion for more inductive engagement, laced with charm and flattery,' Morrison said. 'That said, the PRC still continues to engage in intimidatory behaviour by their military against Australia when it suits them without remorse.' Morrison said while China's diplomatic tactics had changed, its objectives were unaltered: to isolate US influence in the Indo-Pacific and weaken efforts at countering Beijing's 'potential security threat'. He said Australia should boost its defence spending to the 3.5% of GDP demanded of it by the US, arguing 'the world has changed' and that Chinese leaders sought to 'recast the world order to accommodate their illiberal objectives'. Morrison accused the current Labor government of scrimping on defence spending in order to pay for the Aukus submarine deal, which will cost $358bn to the 2050s. Morrison later told reporters Australian defence spending parsimony – in particular the 'displacement' of funds to prioritise Aukus – had been raised by the US in its review of the agreement. Sign up: AU Breaking News email 'It wasn't [meant to be] 'Aukus instead', it was 'Aukus as well',' he said. 'And 'Aukus as well' was at least going to add another half a percent of GDP, at least.' Morrison said Australia should raise its defence spending to 3% of GDP by 2030 and 3.5% by 2035. The government spends a little over 2% of GDP on defence currently, with forecasts to lift that to 2.3% by 2033. To prioritise Aukus, significant cuts have reportedly been made to defence programs, training budgets and to senior defence ranks. Australia has already paid $1.6bn to the US as part of the Aukus agreement. However, the future of the massive nuclear submarine deal remains uncertain as the Pentagon undertakes a review to ensure it does not weaken US naval capacity or diminish America's force posture to contain China. Morrison, whose leadership between 2018 and 2022 endured a low in relations with Beijing, told the committee it was vital for western nations to resist Chinese attempts to interfere in politics and curb free speech. Citing polling of Australians by the Lowy Institute, the former prime minister told US lawmakers that 'for the first time in quite a number of years there is a greater value on the economic partnership with China than concerns about the security threat'. 'That is an objective of the CCP [Chinese communist party], that western democracies go to sleep on the threat,' Morrison said. 'You need to build the internal resilience, and that means an appreciation of the potential threat. And that is somewhat in jeopardy in Australia.' Morrison said the liberal world order faced a 'rising threat from authoritarian states who, not content with absolute control over their own populations to preserve their regimes, also seek hegemonic control over their own regions and to recast the world order to accommodate their illiberal objectives'. Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion 'The Chinese Communist party government of the People's Republic of China is such a regime.' And Morrison said Western countries were 'kidding themselves' if they thought dialogue would change Beijing's pursuit of their objectives. 'A free and open Indo-Pacific – that is a threat and a challenge to regime security in China,' he said. 'Discussion is fine, engagement is good – it's better than the alternative. But if we think that is going to produce change in the mindset of Beijing then we're frankly kidding ourselves.' Appearing alongside Morrison before the committee hearing was Rahm Emanuel, formerly president Barack Obama's chief of staff, mayor of Chicago and US ambassador to Japan. Emanuel is widely considered to be a leading Democratic contender contemplating a run for the White House in 2028. He argued the US – in a significant shift from the Trump administration's 'America First' doctrine – should lead a strong 'anti-coercion coalition' along with allies like Australia to counter Beijing's growing influence. He cited China's trade sanctions on beef, wine and barley, imposed after Australia led calls for an inquiry into the origins of Covid-19, as examples of economic coercion, China's most 'pernicious and persistent tool'. 'Australia is the best kind of blueprint of what you want to replicate worldwide. They did it on their own,' Emanuel said. 'And China realised they couldn't isolate Australia.'
