Silencers, night vision and cultural hunting: Shooters Party reveals its demands
Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party leader Robert Borsak said the proposed council of seven members – four of whom would be nominated by shooters organisations – would operate under the oversight of a newly appointed hunting minister. It would take on some of the responsibilities of the Game Council of NSW, which was abolished after a scathing report into its operations in 2013.
Then-premier Barry O'Farrell said at the time: 'Essentially it made the point that the Game Council was both the promoter and the operator in relation to hunting activities across NSW as well as the regulator. That posed an unacceptable risk to the government.'
Under the latest proposal, the new body would have less control over revenues from licensing than the Game Council had, but according to a briefing paper on the changes written by the Shooters Party and provided to some NSW MPs, it would oversee licensing and policy development.
'The bill supports a new licensing framework, including a proposed Conservation Hunting Licence, to manage ethical public land access and encourages the use of advanced technology (e.g. night vision, thermal scopes, sound moderators) for humane and efficient pest control on private land,' the briefing paper says.
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It would also create bounties for pest animals such as pigs, feral cats and foxes, providing what it said was a cost-effective way to support government-funded pest control.
Borsak said the proposed changes would also increase access to Crown land for hunters, but could not say which land. He said he understood the government would support the proposal. A spokesperson for Agriculture Minister Tara Moriarty said the bill would go through 'internal party processes this morning'.
The O'Farrell government called for a report into the original Game Council after its chief executive was arrested for illegally hunting on private land. He was later convicted of illegal hunting and firearms charges.
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