STATEMENTS ON REPORTS Environment, Natural Resources and Regional Development Committee: control of invasive animals on crown land

Environment, Natural Resources and Regional Development Committee: control of invasive animals on crown land

Mr J. BULL (Sunbury) — It is a wonderful opportunity to be given the chance to speak on the Environment, Natural Resources and Regional Development Committee’s report Inquiry into the Control of Invasive Animals on Crown Land, which I tabled in the house yesterday. I do so as the newly elected chair of this committee but in the full knowledge that the majority of the work on this report was done by former committee members. I particularly want to thank and acknowledge the hard work of the former chair, the member for Thomastown. I want to thank the member for Thomastown for her hard work and her dedication to the committee and to this report. I would also like to acknowledge former committee members the members for Eltham, Benambra and Ovens Valley. I would also like to take this opportunity to reflect on the hard work of the member for Mordialloc, Simon Ramsay in the other place, Daniel Young in the other place, and new members such as myself, along with Luke O’Sullivan in the other place and the member for Polwarth.

The members of the committee are certainly aware of the time and effort that goes into the work of the secretariat. I want to thank the secretariat and the committee staff for their incredibly hard work in bringing this report to Parliament. We know that the report that was tabled yesterday has 77 findings and 33 recommendations. Throughout the inquiry the committee heard from a range of individuals and organisations from right across Victoria. Many of them have directly experienced the negative effects of invasive animals. Many believe that the problem is in fact getting worse.

The report found that invasive animals are certainly a significant problem in Victoria. They impact on agriculture by preying on livestock, consuming pasture and damaging fences. They harm the environment by killing native species, damaging native vegetation and competing with native animals for food. They also threaten people’s safety and amenity through car accidents and of course the fear of being attacked. It is clear that more needs to be done to manage invasive animals. That certainly was a consistent theme throughout the report.

What is not clear is exactly what should be done. The inquiry found that there is a lack of robust data about the extent of the invasive animal problem and the effectiveness of different control methods. It is actually a very difficult matter to get consistent raw data and information on, and that is certainly a problem that was highlighted and a theme that was very strong throughout the report. Some of the work that is currently underway to improve our understanding of these results is not yet available. It is our understanding, as is highlighted in the recommendations, that further work will be needed in this area of policy development.

The report went on to also address the role of shooting in invasive animal control, particularly the role of recreational hunters. There was a general agreement that recreational hunting cannot manage Victoria’s invasive animal problem by itself. However, recreational hunting is part of the solution if these efforts can be focused on particular times and particular places and integrated into a broader control program, including multiple methods.

The inquiry also identified potential improvements in the way that invasive animals are managed by our governing bodies. We found that effective animal control programs require a coordinated long‑term strategic approach. That is certainly something that I think the committee was in furious agreement about, that currently we see a range of bodies that are responsible for the control of invasive animals. It was certainly consistent with the evidence that was put before the committee, that one body to coordinate the management of invasive animals would go a long way towards addressing what is an ever‑growing problem.

These factors make it hard to manage invasive animals, as I mentioned earlier, and the committee determined that it is necessary for one body to be given overall responsibility for that important invasive animal control. This body should develop and implement an overall plan and work to improve the data that is available to the management body to identify just what is out there, how many and what types of species we are dealing with in these instances, and act as a single point of contact for the community.

Invasive animals are a significant problem affecting many Victorians. On behalf of the committee I would like to thank the many individuals and organisations who wrote submissions, attended public hearings or hosted site visits for this inquiry. The committee very much appreciates the work of these individuals and organisations, and I commend the report to the Parliament.