NSW MLC Sue Higginson says the state government’s decision to enter into a deal with the Shooters Party to reintroduce private bounties for shooting invasive species will undermine environment management in NSW back decades, and flies in the face of the scientific knowledge on managing invasive species.
‘This backflip by the Minns Labor government is a return to the bad-old days of the Game Council, a time when public land was handed over to the gun lobby, native animals were put in the firing line, and science was nowhere to be seen,’ said Ms Higginson.
‘This deal with the Shooters Party in NSW is clearly part of a deal-done behind closed doors so the premier should come clean to the people of NSW about what he is getting out of the deal. The community are sick of political deals that undermine science, the environment and integrity in politics.
‘Labor has shown us exactly who they’re listening to, and it’s not the ecologists, farmers or frontline land managers. It’s the Shooters Party and a political culture that has no actual understanding of the environment. They’re playing politics with the land, with nature, and with our collective productivity,’ said Sue Higginson.
Bankrolling hobby shooters
‘This will not solve the invasive species crisis, it will make it worse. We know what works. We need properly funded, evidence-based control programs led by professionals. Instead, Labor has chosen to bankroll hobby shooters while our ecosystems suffer,’ she said.
‘Farmers should be furious. This won’t protect their stock, it won’t restore degraded land, and it won’t address the root of the problem. It’s just more noise from a government with no real connection to the land, no real plan and no real spine.’
‘This is not pest control, it’s political theatre. There is no science behind this decision. There is no effectiveness behind this decision and there is certainly no integrity behind this decision.
‘If the Minns government is serious about protecting nature and restoring agricultural land, it must ditch this farce, fund real feral animal control, and stop treating our land like a political bargaining chip,’ said Sue Higginson.
NSW Farmers
NSW Farmers President Xavier Martin says all options need to be on the table to tackle the state’s feral animal problem.
‘The problem of feral animals – such as pigs – is an escalating concern for farmers, and we would welcome a shared responsibility, including additional funding, to control these nasty pests,’ Mr Martin said.
‘It’s not just pigs – wild dogs and cats are a perennial problem that need to be controlled, and feral deer are an increasing problem. Online commentators who suggest we don’t need additional efforts in this area are seriously out of touch with the realities of the landscape.’
NSW had the highest number of feral mammal species in the nation, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, costing farmers millions each year in damage and production losses.
More funding to deliver coordinated, long-term, cross-tenure pest control programs across the state were critical, Mr Martin said, and all options needed to be on the table, including bounties, baits, trapping and aerial culls.
‘We know animal pests are expected to cause damages in excess of $489 million annually by next year,’ he said. ‘That’s a staggering amount of money, and that’s why we welcome the premier’s approach to look at every option to slash the number of feral animals.
‘We know there’s going to need to be tight controls to ensure safety, uphold biosecurity and enforce authorisation, but NSW Farmers is prepared to work with government to get this right and solve this problem once and for all.’
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