Ms BADGER question to MINISTER for POLICE, FIRE and EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT, Mr ELLIS
Your government has expressed support for opening up hundreds of thousands of hectares of public land for recreational hunting. You know the recreational hunting approach won’t effectively reduce the growing and destructive population of invasive species. You are using this excuse as cover to give shooters unfettered access to vast tracts of beautiful native forests and other sensitive landscapes. These are places enjoyed by Tasmanians from all walks of life, where people are working and where tourists are visiting. These are no places for recreational hunting.
As Police minister, you should understand Tasmania is a state that is fiercely passionate about firearms safety, so why are you pushing for Tasmania to take a frightening step back in this critical area?
ANSWER
Honourable Speaker, I thank the member for her question. People have been able to engage in hunting on Sustainable Timber Tasmania (STT) land for generations. We manage the land for multiple use, whether that’s forestry and timber, carbon sequestration, access for beekeepers or recreational activity, just as we do in many of the other parks and public lands in our state. We are committed to getting the balance right for community safety and responsible firearms ownership and hunting is part of the Tasmanian way of life. It’s refreshing to be able to have an open and honest conversation about the opportunities hunting provides people as far as being able to access food, get young people off screens and out into bush –
Dr Woodruff – Not on public land where there are tourists.
The SPEAKER – Dr Woodruff, your interjections will cease.
Mr ELLIS – As I’ve mentioned, we’ve been hunting on STT lands and other public lands in Tasmania for generations, and do so currently. I understand that in some other jurisdictions a range of different work has been undertaken to continue to modernise and update opportunities so that that can be done even more safely, support shooting and the sport of hunting, and make sure that we get that balance right.
There are some good opportunities for us to do really good customer service. Certainly, some of the processes used in larger states that have been able to bring technology to bear to the way we manage access to lands for recreational hunting are really interesting and exciting. We will continue to work with ministers Pearce and Duigan about bringing together those opportunities. I am grateful for the question and grateful for the work. We certainly support recreational hunting on STT land, just as we have done for generations.
