Tag Archives: Shooting

PARK USERS TO PROTEST PARK SHOOTING

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MEDIA RELEASE 22 june 2012

Park users and managers are holding a rally at midday next Wednesday outside Thomas George’s office in Lismore to protest legislation rammed through parliament last night that allows recreational shooting in 96% of the northern rivers national parks, nature reserves and state conservation areas.

The Bill was passed by the Legislative Council on Thursday morning and then introduced into the Legislative Assembly for concurrence by the Minister for Primary Industry, Katrina Hodgkinson, where standing orders were suspended to allow the bill to be rammed through to become the Game and Feral Animal Control Amendment Act 2012.

The Act enables the Minister for Environment to make national park estate land available for the hunting of game animals by recreational hunters. The Act precludes recreational hunting in 48 reserves near Sydney, declared World Heritage properties and declared wilderness areas.

 

Dailan Pugh of the North East Forest Alliance said:

“The Act makes 107 of the 112 national parks, nature reserves and state conservation areas in the northern rivers electorates of Tweed, Ballina, Lismore and Clarence available for amateur hunting. This includes 190,000 hectares within 27 reserves that was identified by State and Federal Governments as qualifying for World Heritage Listing.

“These parks are used by over 4.1 million visitors a year, are important for local recreation and essential mainstays of the tourism industry.

“We have invited our local members to address the rally and explain why they have made 107 of our reserves available for recreational shooting when Premier O’Farrell claimed that it would only be four”.

Ruth Rosenhek, rally organiser and director of Rainforest Information Centre, said:

“National Parks are set aside not only for conservation but for public appreciation and enjoyment.  As one who once crossed paths with two hunters who mistook me for a deer in a state forest in the US, I strongly urge the government to keep National Parks safe and welcoming for families, children and individuals to walk, camp, bird watch and connect with nature.”

Public Service Association (PSA) Industrial Officer Geo Papas said.

“The NSW government has declared open season on the safety of park rangers, national park staff, visitors, native wildlife and the environment. This legislation goes much further than the Government’s initial announcement – it has left the door open for recreational hunting in all but 48 of our 799 national parks.  Our members and the union condemn this legislation”

Greens MP and environment spokesperson Cate Faehrmann said:

“Communities close to the parks that will now be entertainment for recreational hunters are extremely concerned.

“What makes this deal even worse is that recreational ground shooting is recognised by feral species experts as completely ineffective at eradicating species.

‘It’s disgraceful that Barry O’Farrell has sold off public safety, the environment, animal welfare and native wildlife to the extreme demands of the Shooters Party.”

FOR COMMENT: Ruth Rosenhek 0459 362 357, Dailan Pugh 66 807063, Geo Papas 02 9220 0948, Cate Faehrmann 0433 005 727

Letter to northern rivers members

O’Farrell Made Fools of Us

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MEDIA RELEASE 17/6/2012

 The North East Forest Alliance has accused Premier O’Farrell of deliberately misleading the people of NSW into believing that his backflip on amateur shooting in national parks was limited to 10% of parks, rather than the 94% of NSW’s national parks that will soon be available for shooting with the passage of the Shooter’s bill.

The Shooter’s Game and Feral Animal Control Amendment Bill 2012 was introduced into the NSW Legislative Council last Thursday and is due to be debated this week, though under the deal done with Premier O’Farrell its passage is guaranteed.

NEFA spokesperson Dailan Pugh said “The Bill allows amateur shooting in all national parks, except for 48 listed parks and reserves around Sydney, and those parts of parks that are declared wildernesses or declared world heritage. It will be up to the Environment Minister to agree to whichever ones the Shooters want.  A purely political decision.

“This makes 94% of NSW’s 799 national parks, nature reserves, and state conservation areas potentially available for shooting rather than the 10% claimed by Premier O’Farrell two weeks ago.

“Premier O’Farrell’s claim that shooting in national parks would be limited to supervised feral animal control programmes is also not reflected in the bill.  Once approved by the Minister it is open season.

“The bill will also make it illegal to interfere with the hunting of game animals on any public lands.  While this is intended to remove people’s right to protest, it can apply to anyone who happens to be in an area where they want to hunt” Mr. Pugh said.

On 13 April 2011 Barry O’Farrell told the NSW public “there will not be a  decision to turn our national parks into hunting reserves”.

On 30 May 2012 Barry O’Farrell announced his deal to allow passage of legislation to sell the State’s power generators, telling the NSW public “Amendments to the Game and Feral Animal Control Act 2002 will mean the feral animal eradication program will be extended in 79 of the State’s 799 national parks, nature reserves and state conservation areas”

“At the time Barry O’Farrell claimed that only 79 conservation reserves would be opened up for amateur shooting it is apparent he knew that amendments to the Game and Feral Animal Control Act 2002 would apply to 751 of the State’s 799 national parks, nature reserves and state conservation areas. He deliberately mislead the public.

“While Barry O’Farrell may have made fools of us, he has also proven that he can not be trusted.  We can only assume that all Government members were in on this and equally eager to keep their constituents ignorant of the fact that the deal means that any of their local parks can be opened up for amateur shooting at the whim of the Government.

“With many of our local national party members also refusing to rule out opening up national parks for logging it may not be long before Premier O’Farrell reneges on yet another one of his pre-election promises”  Mr. Pugh said.

 

Game Council Out of Control

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MEDIA RELEASE 13/6/2012

 The North East Forest Alliance has expressed outrage that the NSW Game Council is undertaking a misinformation campaign targeting local governments, such as Coffs Harbour and Lismore Councils, that are considering their positions in relation to amateur hunting in national parks.

NEFA spokesperson Dailan Pugh has accused the Game Council of acting as if it is a branch of the Shooters Party.

“The Game Council is a publicly funded NSW statutory authority, subject to the control and direction of the Minister for Primary Industries.  It is outrageous for the Game Council to provide selective and erroneous information to local government and their Minister, Katrina Hodgkinson, must pull them into line.

“In 2010 the Game Council was described by its ex-CEO, David Dixon as “a deeply flawed, quasi-public gift to the Shooters Party, compromised by hunting factions, jobs for hunters, dominant personalities and profound and unsolvable conflicts of interests”*.

“The Game Council is telling local government that hunting occurs in National Parks in Victoria, South Australia, and Tasmania.  This is wrong as both Tasmania and South Australia prohibit recreational hunting in national parks.  Some other conservation tenures, such as game reserves, allow game hunting, though even then feral animal control is undertaken by the land managers.

“In Victoria, seasonal deer hunting for Sambar deer is allowed in parts of only four national parks, and game hunting for duck, quail and deer in a few other types of reserves.   Hunting for feral animals is limited to the small and remote Lake Albacutya Park in the Wimmera, where it is not considered very successful.

“Other Australian states do not allow feral animal control by amateur shooters in national parks because it is not an efficient or effective method of control, and puts other users at risk. Premier O’Farrell needs to reconsider his rash decision to allow amateur hunting in NSW’s national parks.

“The Game Council also claims hunting safely occurs in New Zealand parks, though in 2010 a woman brushing her teeth in a popular bush camping ground was mistaken by a hunter for a deer or possum and shot dead. There have been 25 hunting related deaths in Australia in the past decade.

“The Game Council has an annual budget of $3.8 million.  While a third of this is funded by the licences, $2.5 million comes directly from NSW taxpayers.

“The Game Council licences amateur hunters to use firearms, dogs, and bows to hunt in 400 State forests and Crown land areas.  In the12 months to 30 April 2012 the Council estimated licensed hunters took 15,663 animals, mostly rabbits, from public land.

“This represents a public expenditure of $159 per feral animal killed on public lands

“Despite the Game Council being established in 2002 there has not been any assessment of the effectiveness of recreational hunting in controlling feral animals in a single State Forest.

“Taking a few animals out of a population will have no significant impact, and can even be counterproductive to other control methods if it disperses pests or makes them more wary. Hunters have also been implicated in the spread of deer and feral pigs so that they can hunt closer to home.

“There are already prioritised and systematic feral animal control programmes in place for our national parks.  Diverting the limited resources available for feral animal control into running safaris for amateur shooters will make control far less effective and efficient”

“We welcome Lismore Council’s decision to oppose shooting in national parks, despite the efforts of the Game Council”  Mr. Pugh said.

* Sydney Morning Herald 19.6.10

FOR COMMENT CONTACT Dailan Pugh 66807063

Feds asked to intervene to exclude shooting in World Heritage

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Below is the recent media release on recreational shooting in listed and identified world heritage areas.  A letter was sent to the Commonwealth and all north east NSW Federal members on World Environment day detailing this request.

Letter to Burke_World Heritage

MEDIA RELEASE 1/6/2012

The North East Forest Alliance is calling on the Federal Government to intervene to exclude shooting from World Heritage listed national parks and proposed additions.

NEFA spokesperson Dailan Pugh, said Premier  Barry O’Farrell’s decision to renege on his promise of a year ago to exclude recreational hunting from national parks will do little to control feral animals and puts at risk the lives of visitors and neighbours.

“‘The fact that Premier O’Farrel can say in one breath that they will exclude world heritage and in the other identify six World Heritage listed parks for shooting shows how ill-conceived his backflip is.

“In the same statement announcing the 79 reserves proposed for shooting Mr O’Farrell said shooting of feral animals will not be permitted in any wilderness area or world heritage area.

‘Yet his announcement includes the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia World Heritage listed parks of Nightcap National Park, Richmond Range National Park (in part), Gibraltar Range National Park, Dorrigo National Park, Oxley Wild Rivers National Park, and Barrington Tops National Park.  Oxley Wild Rivers and Barrington Tops are also identified wildernesses.

“The Federal Government needs to intervene to over-ride the State Government’s announced intention to allow shooting in world-heritage properties’,

“World Heritage is the jewel in the crown and should not be debased.  Other national parks now being considered for addition to the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia properties should similarly be excluded”.  Mr Pugh said.

CONTACT Dailan Pugh 66 807063

Local Members Asked to Repudiate Attempts to Open Up National Parks for Logging and Shooting

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MEDIA RELEASE 21 April 2012

 

The North East Forest Alliance says the decision of the NSW Legislative Council to inquire into the past conversion of crown lands and state forests in northern NSW into national parks appears to have the intent of paving the way for the opening up of National Parks for logging and shooting under the guise of “sustainable use”.

NEFA spokesperson Dailan Pugh said that “all national parks in northern NSW are up for grabs, though we expect the Coalition will be targeting the 50% of national parks created since they were last in power.

“The fact that the inquiry is chaired by the Shooters and Fishers Party and dominated by the Coalition leaves little doubt that the outcome has been pre-determined.

“There is currently a timber supply crisis in northern NSW. In 2004 the Labor Government gave 20 year guarantees of large sawlogs from state forests to millers at levels that simply did not exist.

“The Government has not been able to provide the committed volumes any year since and the situation is rapidly worsening, with only 60% of commitments supplied last year. The Government has already had to buy back commitments and compensate millers, and are now liable for massive compensation payouts.

“It is now becoming apparent why the Coalition Government has not heeded our call to reduce timber commitments. They appear to have a different solution.

“The National Party was well aware of the supply crisis before the election and some members expressed their preference for opening up national parks for logging, though the Coalition denied they had any intent to do so.

“The Government should be urgently reducing logging down to sustainable levels rather than removing the protection afforded to national parks.

“The Nationals need to realise that the community has moved on and no longer accepts the widespread logging of rainforests, oldgrowth forests, wilderness and threatened species habitat that occurred when they were last in power.

“We are calling on people to contact their local State Government member and ask them for personal commitments that they will not support the revoking of national parks or opening them up for logging and shooting” Mr. Pugh said.