Rosalie Woodruff MP | Greens Environment and Biodiversity spokesperson
Lutruwita/Tasmania should be a sanctuary for wildlife, but our native fauna is increasingly coming under threat. The Greens tabled two Bills in Parliament today, designed to protect our state’s unique and special native wildlife.
We were also proud to table a petition signed by 1,885 people calling for an end to native duck shooting in Tasmania.
The Wildlife (Protection of Native Duck Species) Bill 2021 will ban the hunting of native ducks in lutruwita/Tasmania, while the Cat Management Amendment (Mandatory Confinement) Bill 2021 protects wildlife by ensuring all domestic cats are subject to mandatory confinement.
Other Australian states have already banned native duck shooting, and it’s past time lutruwita/Tasmania did the same.
Duck shooting is a cruel and unsustainable practice that results in the death and suffering of tens of thousands of native birds each year. It impacts the national population of these species – which has been in decline.
The broader Tasmanian community does not support the so-called ‘sport’ of native duck shooting. That was reflected in the large number of people who signed the petition calling for this outdated practice to be banned.
The fact that protesters outnumbered hunters at Moulting Lagoon for the opening weekend of this year’s duck shooting season says it all.
Unlike the Liberals’ recent weak changes to cat ownership laws, our Cat Management Amendment (Mandatory Confinement) Bill 2021 responds to the overwhelming advice of experts and stakeholders, who recommend confinement as the best method for cat control.
Feral cats are responsible for over 1.5 billion native animal deaths each year, according to Australian National University research. A single feral cat is capable of killing 740 animals in an average year.
The Greens recognise the impact of cats on wildlife is one of our state’s biggest environmental issues, and understand the need for legislative change to protect the unique native species with which we share our island home.
We also recognise roaming, stray and feral cats not only pose a risk to wildlife but also to primary producers, and to human health through toxoplasmosis. There is a lot of work to do to tackle these issues, but our Bill would be a big step forward, and make a meaningful difference.
The Greens call on both major parties to recognise the importance of protecting lutruwita/Tasmania’s native wildlife, and urge them to support our proposed reforms.