Ms BADGER question to MINISTER for PRIMARY INDUSTRIES and WATER, Mr PEARCE
Tasmania faces serious and escalating issues with invasive deer. With the state’s rapidly increasing population of feral deer now over 70,000, significant damage is being continually inflicted on national parks, the World Heritage area, and primary industry productivity. Multiple reports, including the Tasmanian State of the Environment Report 2024, have recommended removing the partial protection of deer as the obvious and necessary measure for reducing the presently out‑of‑control population. Will you finally be the member of government who treats fallow deer as the biosecurity issue they are and commit to removing their partial protection status?
ANSWER
Honourable Speaker, I thank the member for the question. In fact, this is a subject that we have spoken about in some detail prior to this Question Time and will continue to consult with you on this interest in the future.
The Tasmanian Wild Fallow Deer Management Plan 2022‑27 and the implementation strategy is the Tasmanian government’s blueprint for managing wild fallow deer across the entire state. It balances the interests of farmers, foresters, hunters, community and the environment. In fact, the aerial deer survey has shown that the epicentres for some of those populations are now concentrated in environmentally protected areas. I understand that; government gets that.
The plan manages the impacts of deer in three zones. The objective for zone one is to continue deer management to sustain it as a hunting reserve, providing landholders greater flexibility to reduce the impact of deer on them.
No deer through eradicating down is the objective for zones three and two. Zone two is traditionally the buffer area, and under the current legislation, landowners can eradicate deer or manage deer impacts while sustaining hunting resources. That’s important.
Since 2122, $7.2 million has been invested in delivering the Wild Fallow Deer Implementation Strategy. This includes a $5.77 million in state funds and $1.5 million in Australian Government funds.
When it comes to actions from the aerial deer survey, we understand that there has been an approaching 19,000 number increase in the last two years. We get that. The department gets that, and I have instructed the department to come up with an implementation strategy that will reduce that number, particularly concentrating on zones two and three. If you imagine an epicentre of an expanding population, you want to push that population back in from the outside.
The other consideration that we need to observe is the change in agricultural practice, particularly within the Northern Midlands. If you drive through now, you see more pivots, more green crops, and more impact from deer.
Dr Woodruff – There are deer in Cygnet.
Mr PEARCE – There are deer in the cities, and I will get to peri‑urban deer in a minute.
Members interjecting
The SPEAKER – Order. Through the Chair please.
Mr PEARCE – It is important that we, as a government, provide a regulation framework that allows the flexibility –
The SPEAKER – The honourable minister’s time for answering the question has expired.
SUPPLEMENTARY QUESTION
Ms BADGER – A supplementary question, Speaker?
The SPEAKER – I will hear the supplementary question.
Ms BADGER – I will just go back to the original question, which was very specifically on the removal of the partial protection on fallow deer and what this government is doing to action that recommendation, which has been in multiple reports, including the 2024 State of the Environment report?
The SPEAKER – The minister did outline the strategy in different zones. Have you anything else to add to that?
Mr PEARCE – Yes, I do, Speaker. In relation to your question, specifically on the recategorisation, my department and the government’s priority is to reduce those numbers back to a manageable level. If we can do that under site changes to the current legislation, that’s what we will do, but we want to see those numbers down. We want to see those numbers controlled and we want to see greater flexibility within those respective areas, that is, environmentally protected land, peri‑urban land, agricultural land, and where they are a danger to road users. It is only a matter of time –
Dr Woodruff – You have to stop protecting them. You keep feeding them. The strategy feeds them.
The SPEAKER – Dr Woodruff, order. Through the Chair, please. Minister, have you finished your response?
Mr PEARCE – Yes.
