Volunteer members of the public will be on the wetlands again to rescue wounded waterbirds during the 2024 duck shooting season, from Wednesday, 10 April 2024, the Coalition Against Duck Shooting Campaign Director, Laurie Levy, said today.
Levy has called for Victoria Police to investigate an alleged secret deal between the shooters and the Victorian Government, to hold a 2024 duck shooting season before the results of the Parliamentary Inquiry were announced. According to the shooters' own claims, the 2024 decision was made, regardless of the outcome of the Inquiry. And that is exactly how it happened.
We also believe that IBAC must investigate the public threats made by two heavyweight union bosses who said they would down tools and go out on strike if the government banned duck shooting, Levy said.
"This was like holding a gun to the head of Victoria's new Premier and Labor politicians who were already dealing with billions of dollars of debt. These very serious threats were made by the ETU and CFMEU Union bosses. But if you are a union boss, thuggery and intimidation seem to be taken for granted and overlooked."
At a time when the Victorian Government's Parliamentary Inquiry recommended that the recreational shooting of native waterbirds should be banned, a union strike would have held Victoria to ransom by increasing the State's billion-dollar debt problem.
The rescue of wounded birds and recovery of illegally shot protected and threatened species will again be left to volunteer members of the public. Rescuers will be on wetlands in northwest Victoria and near Donald for the opening, from Wednesday 10 April 2024.
Premier Jacinta Allan will spend millions of taxpayers' dollars to satisfy the violent killing needs of duck shooters, who today make up only 0.2 per cent of Victoria's population.
