The decision by the NSW Premier to allow Game Hunting in National Parks has been welcomed by Duty MLC for Northern NSW The Hon Scot MacDonald and condemned by Member for Northern Tablelands Richard Torbay as a ploy to secure upper house support for the sale of state-owned electricity generators.
“I have been advocating for this policy since I arrived in the NSW Parliament,” said Mr MacDonald.
“I believe it is a practical strategy to control feral animals in selected National Parks, Reserves and State Conservation Areas.
“By using experienced volunteer hunters, under the supervision of the Game Council and the Office of Environment and Heritage, we can help to improve the biodiversity of our Parks.”
In the New England region the following estates will be considered for volunteer pest control — National Parks: Bald Rock, Basket Swamp, Boonoo, Gibraltar Range, Nowendoc, Piliga East, Pilliga West, Oxley. Gibraltar Nature Reserve. State Conservation Areas: Butterleaf, Cataract, Mount Hyland, Torrington, Watsons Creek and Werrikimbe.
Meanwhile Member for Northern Tablelands Richard Torbay said he would continue to oppose any sale of state-owned electricity generators despite the government’s deal with the Shooters and Fishers Party to secure upper house support.
Mr Torbay said linking the decision to allow shooters access to national parks with the electricity assets sale deflects attention from the real issue which is the loss of further assets without public support.
“Since entering parliament in 1999 I have been steadfast in my opposition to any sale of public-owned utilities such as electricity generators and infrastructure,” Mr Torbay said.
“I am dismayed that the government would now resort to buying the support of upper house members to ram through this sell-off.
“These utilities are assets owned by the people of NSW and they should have a say about the sale process through referendum.”
Mr Torbay said the lack of any real detail available about how the hunting of feral animals in national parks would be carried out meant he could not support the proposal.
“There is little or no detail about the management of shooting in national parks, why metropolitan parks have been excluded, how the extension of the Game and Feral Animal Control Act will work and, most importantly, guaranteeing the public safety,” Mr Torbay said.
“I would not oppose any reasonable steps to improve feral animal control, however, given the lack of details available I cannot support this move by the government.”
