'Us duck hunters': Victorian watchdog accused of siding with shooters

Complaints have been made against the Game Management Authority, which oversees duck hunting in Victoria. (Supplied: RSPCA) Victoria's duck hunting watchdog has been accused of turning a blind eye to illegal behaviour by shooters while bullying wildlife rescuers and anti-hunting campaigners. The Game Management Authority has been criticised for posting information about wildlife rescuers and protesters on social media. Animal Justice Party MP Georgie Purcell is calling on the state government to scrap its plan to merge the Game Management Authority with the Victorian Fisheries Authority. Link copiedShareShare articleVictoria's hunting watchdog has been accused of turning a blind eye to illegal hunting behaviour while bullying anti-duck shooting campaigners. The Game Management Authority (GMA) is the current regulator of hunting in Victoria but is set to be merged with the Victorian Fisheries Authority to create Outdoor Recreation Victoria. The amalgamation is to be debated in parliament this week. Protesters and wildlife rescuers are so worried by the alleged unfair treatment that they have made formal complaints to the state's integrity agencies, including the state's anti-corruption commission. Some duck rescuers have accused the Game Management Authority of unfair treatment. (ABC News: Rhiannon Stevens) On its Facebook page, the GMA has posted photos and the hometown locations of rescuers it has successfully fined for breaching duck hunting rules, leading to abuse and even death threats against animal activists. In one case, a man from Maldon, who the ABC has decided not to name, received a threat he would be drowned. His image was also posted on GMA's Facebook page and its official website. Despite being posted on a government Facebook page, the comments remain online. "It would be irresponsible not to be scared — you're dealing with men with firearms," the man said. The GMA said it used its website and social media to raise awareness of public safety, hunting laws and regulations, and the penalties issued by the courts for compliance outcomes. At a March meeting in Bendigo hosted by Field & Game — a club and lobby group for hunters — a GMA officer told hunters not to denigrate protesters, to make prosecution of rescuers easier. "It's very nice if it looks all prim and proper on our end and we can make the protesters look like the fool," he said in a recording provided to the ABC. He also used the term "us duck hunters" when imploring shooters to follow the rules and to not give any animal activists any "ammunition". The comments have fuelled concern that the GMA is not an independent arbiter of the sport. The Game Management Authority has been accused of siding with hunters. (ABC News: Jane Cowan) The officer also explained to those at the meeting that while it was great to see children at hunts, it was against the law, unless the children had a licence. In Victoria, children aged 12 to 17 can obtain a Victorian Game Licence, while those under 12 are not permitted to use a firearm, hunt or take game. "If you do have a kid out that is unlicensed, we'll probably just ask you to take them off [the wetland]." The GMA said all its staff were required to act impartially in accordance with the code of conduct for Victorian public sector employees. Field & Game Australia chief executive Lucas Cooke said the organisation supported any model that improved regulation of outdoor regulation and rejected criticism that promotion and compliance were incompatible. "The important issue is not whether those functions sit within the same broader structure, but whether compliance decisions are made independently, consistently and in accordance with the law,'' Mr Cooke said. He also labelled assertions from protesters that the GMA was biased as wrong. "It is apparent that some of the items being raised are not new. They reflect the same conspiracy-style claims that are regularly advanced by extreme anti-hunting activists — namely, that lawful hunters are somehow being protected, while protesters are unfairly targeted,'' Mr Cooke said. "That is not Field & Game Australia's experience." "Disagreeing with a lawful activity does not give anyone the right to obstruct it, intimidate participants, interfere with compliance operations, or create unsafe situations on public wetlands." He said the law should be applied fairly and without fear or favour. Field & Game said education of its members was crucial and should not be should be misrepresented as favouritism. In 2017, the state government commissioned an independent report into GMA's performance, which found the body was failing to deliver on its responsibility to enforce the hunting laws. The report, by Pegasus Economics, painted a picture of an organisation that was more focused on managing protesters instead of policing hunters. George Bucchorn quit working as a compliance officer for the Game Management Authority in 2018, alleging he was co

'Us duck hunters': Victorian watchdog accused of siding with shooters

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