A longer ‘shooting season’. A higher ‘bag limit’. And shooting before the sun comes up. Despite evidence showing there are drastically fewer ducks this year, Premier Jacinta Allan is permitting more of them to suffer over the coming months.

A year ago, Premier Allan ignored her own parliamentary inquiry that recommended a full ban on duck shooting. Now, she has announced the most reckless season for native ducks in years.

Once again, Victoria’s picturesque wetlands — usually peaceful havens for our unique wildlife — will be transformed into government-sanctioned killing fields.

According to the most recent and robust research, waterbird numbers on the east coast of Australia have almost halved in the last 12 months due to a lack of rainfall leaving them little habitat to breed. But this year, the Victorian Government has ignored the robust research, shoving aside 40+ years of scientific data showing catastrophic declines in waterbird populations. Instead, it’s using its own experimental modelling to support the continuation of recreational duck shooting in the state.

Simultaneously, state government agencies are spending millions of dollars to proactively safeguard wildlife from the looming threat of bird flu (the H5N1 strain of avian influenza), while allowing every shooter to kill 9 ducks per day of the ‘season’. Almost half a million native birds could be maimed and killed between March and June.

Native ducks and sometimes even endangered and ‘protected’ birds are gunned down by shooters, their fragile bodies shattered by pellets.  

The ‘lucky’ ones are killed instantly. The unlucky ones — an estimated one out of every four birds shot — will suffer for days or even weeks before finally succumbing to their injuries. Perhaps most awful of all? This cruelty is inflicted upon defenceless animals in the name of a ‘sport’ that the majority of caring Australians oppose.

To make an awful situation worse, according to the government’s own survey, shockingly few Victorian shooters understand the ‘rules’ when it comes to killing waterbirds. In light of the survey findings, the Victorian Government is knowingly letting shooters onto the wetlands who don’t have the necessary animal welfare knowledge, don’t know which ducks they can legally shoot and which species are ‘protected’, and on top of this, don’t understand close-range shooting safety risks. 

Despite all the evidence, the Victorian Government is appeasing the minority (shooters), ignoring the majority of Victorians, and threatening the long-term survival of our native wildlife.

Lead ammunition was found to be recently used by some shooters in the state, despite being banned for two decades – yet another example of the rules in place failing to protect wildlife. After causing an excruciating death for birds who are shot and escape, lead remains in the environment for years, posing a threat to protected animals like wedge-tailed eagles and scavenging wildlife.

The high levels of lead found in ducks at four Victorian waterways in recent years indicate a potential risk to human health too. Uncovered in Freedom of Information documents, levels were “well above” food safety standards. The EPA was advised to investigate the potential risks to the environment and to humans before the commencement of the 2021 ‘shooting season’, however the government is still yet to issue any public health warnings.

Victoria is years behind the progress of other states. Duck shooting was banned in WA, NSW and Qld in the 90s and early 2000s on animal cruelty and environmental protection grounds. A ban in Victoria is long overdue.

This is an inhumane recreational pursuit that less than 1% of the community participates in. Signing off on a full 90-day ‘shooting season’ is a reckless decision from the Premier and does not represent what most Victorians want – to see wildlife properly protected, for good.