Guy Barnett a target over duck shooting

By Sharon Webb

DUCK SHOOTING has landed local Lyons MHA Guy Barnett in choppy waters after it appeared he allowed the 2020 season to go ahead even though he was advised it was a bad idea.

Greens leader Cassie O’Connor released details of a draft Parliamentary minute gained under Right To Information advising the Resources Minister that the eight locations traditionally opened for duck hunting should remain closed.

The locations included the Meander Valley’s Rushy Lagoon Reserve and closure aimed to protect a core part of the Tasmanian and eastern Australian wild duck population.

Duck numbers in SA, Victoria and NSW had been affected by prolonged drought and Tasmanian breeding ducks were needed to replace them, the minute read. Those states were also reducing duck shootings this year.

‘The Tasmanian wild duck population is an integral part of the eastern Australian wild duck population that is considered to be an important source of breeding stock to repopulate wetlands in mainland states following drought and should therefore be managed consistently across eastern Australia,’ it said.

Despite this, Mr Barnett allowed the season to go ahead from March 7 until June 16. It’s unknown exactly how many ducks were killed but in 2019 licenced hunters shot around 49,000.

The Liberal bureaucracy has waded in to Mr Barnett’s defence, with newly-appointed DPIPWE boss Tim Baker saying it’s his job to make the hunting call, not Mr Barnett’s.

‘The draft minute was under development and produced prior to further survey results being compiled which subsequently showed no significant decline in wild duck counts for 2020,’ he said.

‘I received formal advice on 25 February 2020 confirming that survey results showed no significant decline in wild duck counts for 2020.’ Mr Barnett maintains 25 years of DPIPWE surveys on wild duck populations show no evidence of long-term decline in numbers.

In March he commented in Parliament on duck shooting: ‘It is an important part of the Tasmanian way of life. It is part of what makes Tasmania great.’

At the time the Greens’ Rosalie Woodruffe said, ‘That the Liberals see killing native animals as fundamental to the “Tasmanian way of life” is revolting.

‘Birdlife Tasmania has notified the Government that mainland ducks are flying to Tasmania to seek shelter from this year’s worst drought in recorded history, and from the devastation wrought by climate change-induced bushfires.

‘Instead of finding shelter, those birds will be live targets for the next three months.’