Ellen Sandell, leader of the Victorian Greens and eminent state member for Melbourne, attempts to shed a light on the kangaroo situation in Victoria.

‍

In regard to the Kangaroo Harvesting Program (KHP):

1. How are shooting zones for the KHP determined and monitored.
2. How is the safety of residents and wildlife considered in the development of shooting zones.
3. (Does the Government allow the use of suppressors or silencers on high powered rifles in shooting zones with residential populations, given that this practice is not allowed in comparable jurisdictions.
4. What measures do the Government have in place to ensure kangaroos killed under the KHP are killed humanely.
5. How does the Government monitor and enforce animal welfare compliance.
6. What measures are in place to ensure the safety of those using high-powered rifles in the commercial exploitation of kangaroos.
7. What is the reason for the Government’s estimated year-on-year increase in the kangaroo population in the central shooting zone given the industrial-scale killings in that zone in the last two seasons.
8. What kind of feedback has the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA) received from impacted residents since the development of the KHP; specifically, has DEECA received any complaints from residents in Dunkeld, including in relation to a student camp.
9. What, if anything, has been done in response to residential feedback and have any reforms been established since the Department of Education was notified of shooting near the student camp in Dunkeld in 2021.
10. Are the current permitted shooting activities near residents in Dunkeld considered safe.

The Kangaroo Harvesting Program (KHP) is jointly administered by the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA) and the Department of Jobs, Skills, Industry and Regions (DJSIR).

Preparing the Kangaroo Harvest Management Plan (KHMP), setting annual quotas and monitoring levels of kangaroo control is the responsibility of DEECA, while DJSIR is responsible for administering the program. The Game Management Authority (GMA) issues authorisation for harvesters and monitors compliance.

Kangaroo harvest zones are based on groupings of ecologically similar local government areas. Tags issued to harvesters can only be used in the zone they have been allocated for.

NOTE: Shooting zones to be rezoned across Victoria from January 2025, at which time Melbourne Local Government Areas (LGAs) will be excluded from the impact of the commercial exploitation of kangaroos, which is very dangerous in more densely populated areas. It is very unlikely that rezoning is based on ecologically similar local government areas as a guiding principle. Its purpose appears to be to disguise the drop in Kangaroo populations in some zones by integrating them with the two most populous zones, making future comparisons even harder.

For example, the Central shooting zone, which has a number of Melbourne suburbs in it, was the shooting zone delivering the highest number of kangaroos killed for commercial gain. As of January 2025, part of the Central shooting zone (which vanishes) will be merged with parts of the Lower Wimmera, Upper Wimmera and Mallee shooting zones to become the new and very large Loddon Mallee shooting zone. Populations of kangaroos in the Mallee shooting zone have plummeted and commercial exploitation is no longer viable. There is little ecological commonality, the Mallee shooting zone is home to the Red Kangaroo (Mallee and desert country) and the Western Grey Kangaroo, it is an overlap zone of Western and Eastern Grey Kangaroos. So, not even the species are the same. While the Red Kangaroo is currently not on the commercial list it is in grave danger of becoming so with the move into public lands. This change would represent the final mopping up of the species in Victoria.

The Game Management Authority (GMA) monitors the compliance of harvesters. Compliance priorities include harvester competency, animal welfare, sustainability, adherence to authorisations, and public safety. Compliance activities have included auditing harvesters, desktop audits, in-field inspections, and audits of private property where harvesting occurs.

NOTE: It is highly questionable to claim that the government’s GMA has a positive impact on animal welfare. Given what occurs in the bush at night and that joeys are beaten to death, claims of humane outcomes are silly.

There is more information on the kangaroo harvest zones and program requirements in the Kangaroo Harvest Management Plan, which is available on the DEECA wildlife website.

Metropolitan Melbourne is excluded from harvesting zones, and harvesting only takes place on private land with the landholder's permission. The strict requirements placed on harvesters, as outlined in the KHMP, protect the safety of residents and wildlife.

NOTE: As of January 2025 Melbourne will be excluded from the shooting zones that its LGAs were in, the exception, the Yarra Ranges LGA. Prior to this and since 2019 significant parts of Melbourne were open to commercial kangaroo shooters. Public land, including state and national parks, Ramsar sites and wildlife (game) reserves will be opened up to shooters who exploit kangaroos for commercial gain. This is a very dangerous and irresponsible development which has become necessary (face saving exercise) because kangaroo populations on private land across Victoria have declined since 2014, when the commercial exploitation began (initially as a trial).

For the first 9 months of 2024, the commercial exploitation of kangaroos in Victoria has taken place without an approved Commercial Kangaroo Management Plan. The plan was signed (Federal Environment Minister) in the latter part of September and we will report the differences between the original plan and what was eventually approved as soon as we can.

The use of suppressors or silencers with firearms is regulated under the Firearms Act 1996. This falls within the Minister for Police's portfolio. Questions about the Firearms Act 1996 should be directed to the Minister for Police, Hon Anthony Carbines MP.

NOTE: Kangaroo shooters are now using silencers to conceal their activities and this is extremely dangerous and would and should be illegal. The question never gets a straight or clear answer.

Ensuring that harvesting is carried out in a humane way is a key objective of the KHMP. Harvesters must be authorised to participate in the program and are required to act in accordance with their Conditions of Authorisation, which ensures they have an appropriate firearms licence, have completed appropriate training in firearm proficiency and game harvesting, and they must adhere to the National Code of Practice for the Humane Shooting of Kangaroos and Wallabies for Commercial Purposes. This code was updated in 2020 to incorporate new research into the humane treatment of kangaroos and wallabies. The GMA is responsible for issuing authorisations and monitoring harvester compliance with the conditions of their authorisation.

NOTE: The above can only be described as total nonsense. The commercial exploitation, the butchering of animals, sometimes while they are still alive, the decapitation or beating to death of joeys, is recognised internationally as the most cruel at vast scale of all these types of commercial activities relating to land based wildlife. The most recent update of the code, which is a document intended to lead international customers of this trade in wildlife to believe the commercial trade in kangaroos is humane and sustainable, neither is true, was published in late 2020. Concerned organisations were asked to make a submission to AgriFutures Australia in relation to the commercial killing of kangaroos and were ignored. The code is not enforceable and a vast number of abhorrent breaches of the code occur each and every night. There are Victorian Government regulations relating to the licensing of commercial kangaroo shooters. Requirements such as not shooting female kangaroos with evident young are ignored and the number of females being killed across the state is now roughly one third of the declining take. A similar number of joeys are killed in the most gruesome of ways when their mothers are killed and these deaths are not including in the statistics or quotas (joey deaths as a result of commercial killing of female kangaroos are now reported but again not  accounted for in the statistics or quotas).

The GMA undertakes compliance activities for the KHP, which involve onsite inspection of authorised harvesters. These inspections assess harvester compliance with the conditions of their authorisation, including adherence to the National Code of Practice for the Humane Shooting of Kangaroos and Wallabies for commercial purposes. Harvesters found to be non-compliant with the conditions of their authorisation may be subject to penalties under the Wildlife Act 1975.

Only authorised harvesters operate under the KHP, and there are requirements in place to ensure harvesters administer best practices when using firearms. These include requiring harvesters to hold a valid Firearm Licence and compliance with the Firearms Act 1996. Additionally, harvesters may only shoot kangaroos on land where they have obtained written permission from the landowner or manager.

DEECA is responsible for setting the annual harvest quota based on recommendations from the Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research (ARI). ARI uses a science-based approach to determine the quota each year, with sustainability as a top priority. The increase in quota for 2023 reflects the overall increase in kangaroo populations which were identified in the statewide survey conducted in 2022. The 2022 survey report, and the 2023 quota recommendation from ARI are available on the department’s website.

NOTE: Kangaroo populations in Victoria have declined significantly since 2014. Populations estimates are based on counting a small number of kangaroos on transects and extrapolating this count across Victoria based on model specifications. This leads to significantly inflated population estimates. ARI now claim a move to finer grain calculations, we can only wait to see what this year’s population survey brings. Expect an announcement about commercial quotas for 2025 and population estimates on 24 December 2024.

From time to time DEECA receives feedback from residents; however, the administration of the KHP and monitoring and investigating reports of non-compliance is the responsibility of DJSIR and the GMA. DEECA passes on any reports of non-compliance to the GMA to investigate.

NOTE: Residents’ complaints, which can be very serious, are ignored and evident human rights abuses are either denied or ignored by government politicians.

I am advised that all formal complaints received by the GMA from the Dunkeld area have been investigated and that no offences have been detected. Questions about the Firearms Act 1996 should be directed to the Minister for Police, Hon Anthony Carbines MP.

NOTE: Dunkeld is one of a number of regional towns where residents have been impacted by the commercial exploitation of kangaroos. In the case of Dunkeld, individuals have either lost their homes or have come close to doing so as they could no longer tolerate the unannounced shooting and spotlighting close to their homes and businesses. Professionals, often older women, living in or moving to the regions, appear to be particularly vulnerable. These matters have been raised in the Victorian Parliament with no action taken.

Harvesters are required to provide evidence of passing a shooting accuracy test before they are authorised under the KHP to ensure they are capable of shooting with sufficient accuracy to meet the requirements set out in the National Code of Practice for the Humane Shooting of Kangaroos and Wallabies for Commercial Purposes.

In addition, any shooting conducted under the KHP must comply with the Firearms Act 1996 and other relevant legislation. Any concerns regarding public safety should be reported to Victoria Police.

NOTE: When tourist / business operators in Dunkeld complained to the Police they had restraining orders placed on them. Police may have been placed in a difficult position by Victorian Government policies but there needs to be better and a just management of complaints, rather than the typical response of not assisting property owners and business people caught in the midst of this large scale wildlife slaughter. Victims have no avenue in which to seek help and this exposes them to further abuse.