ALP Branch Motions And Letters From Non-Government Organisations Addressed To The Premier

Members of ALP MoDS at wetlands in 2004

ALP MoDS has given presentations at various ALP Branches where motions have been passed calling on the Victorian Labor Government to ban the recreational shooting of native waterbirds. The motions have been forwarded by Branch Secretaries to Premier Bracks, Hon John Thwaites Minister for Environment, the ALP Policy Committee and to the ALP State Secretary.

MOTIONS PASSED BY ALP BRANCHES

LETTERS TO THE PREMIER AND MINISTER FOR ENVIRONMENT

The Hon Steve Bracks
Premier of Victoria
1 Treasury Place
Melbourne
Victoria 3002

23/10/03

Dear Premier

Humane Society International (HSI) is one of the largest animal protection and conservation organisations in the world, with over 8 million supporters globally. HSI Australia was established in Sydney in 1994, and is now one of the largest pro-active non-government organisations in the country, with some 40,000 supporters.

This brief note to you today is to urge your Government's speedy reconsideration of current policies that permit the killing on wild ducks for the purposes of sport (though neither do we support killing for any so-called "damage-control" purposes).

It is our belief that the number of sport hunters shooting ducks has declined rapidly in recent years, making any new policy that regulated against such a practice, easier to promulgate.

We would like to assure you that HSI Australia would take all steps possible in the media to publicly congratulate your Government, should such a policy change be undertaken. Similarly, we would be able to arrange for our Washington office, and other international GO networks in many countries, to publicly acknowledge your action.

Duck shooting in modern day Victoria is an abhorrent and cruel practice. Not only does it place in some jeopardy other less common species of water fowl, but could also be viewed as a "key threatening process" under the Victorian Flora Fauna & Guarantee Act, 1988 and the Commonwealth's Environment Protection & Biodiversity Conservation Act, 1999.

HSI had been drafting such a nomination for listing under the NSW Threatened Species Conservation Act, 1995, before the hunting practice was halted - with some help from HSI (as it has also been in Western Australia).

I have enclosed our annual report from last year, so that you may be more aware of the activities we undertake.

Please be assured again of our organisations support - and that of our 40,000 supporters - should you move to prohibit sport hunting of ducks - we would most certainly urge you to do so.

Yours sincerely

Michael Kennedy
Director
Humane Society International

cc John Thwaites, Minister for the Environment