Duck season

Ms PENNICUIK (Southern Metropolitan) — My question is to the Minister for Agriculture. Yesterday I spoke in my member's statement about the shooting of protected waterbirds at Lake Burrumbeet last weekend. Today Animals Australia has released footage of protected species also shot last weekend, including freckled ducks, blue-winged shovelers, cormorants and red-necked avocet, which I saw personally for myself. My question is: how many reports has the minister received from her department of incidents and/or numbers of protected species that have been shot since the opening of the duck shooting season?

Ms PULFORD (Minister for Agriculture) — I thank the member for her question and her interest in these matters. Over opening weekend there were a total of seven infringeable offences detected for minor breaches. There were three that were possession of toxic shot and two that were failure to retain wing on a harvested duck. No hunters were detected or charged with hunting or taking protected or threatened species. Staff collected three freckled ducks and two blue-winged shovelers at Lake Toolondo, and one freckled duck and one red-necked avocet were collected near Lake Burrumbeet.

Of course these issues are ones on which the community has very divergent views. The reports I have received from opening weekend are that both hunters and protesters have all behaved generally in accordance with the arrangements that are in place to ensure a safe season, and I also invite the member if she is aware of any breaches, or indeed if any other member of the community is aware of any breaches, to report those to the relevant authorities.

Ms PENNICUIK (Southern Metropolitan) — I am not sure that the community's views are that divergent on the shooting of protected species. I think the vast majority of people are appalled by that. Every year hundreds if not thousands of protected birds are shot during duck shooting season. My own experience and the footage that has been released would show that the number of infringements that the minister has mentioned in her answer to my question does not tally with the number of protected species that have been displayed outside the Premier's office just this week and that I know are still being collected by duck rescuers. My question is: what new strategy, if any, does the minister have in place to prevent this ongoing slaughter of our protected birds?

Ms PULFORD (Minister for Agriculture) — I thank the member for her further question. The member asserts, I think without a great deal of evidence to support it, that protected birds in their hundreds or indeed their thousands have been shot. I would just draw the attention of the house to that assertion. Yes, protesters or duck rescuers have placed birds on the steps of government buildings. There is of course a universal view about hunting protected species. What I was referring to when I indicated that there were divergent views in the community was the question of whether or not a duck hunting season should exist at all.