From May 1, 2020 government policy will no longer require hunters to gain permission from the holders of grazing licences to hunt deer in Victoria’s east.
After prolonged and persistent advocacy by SSAA Victoria and the Australian Deer Association (ADA), government policy is finally set to change.
The old policy required hunters wishing to hunt in state forests, that were subject to grazing licences issued under the Lands Act, to have the permission of the licensee. This contrasted with licences held under the Forest Act, which did not have that requirement. It was difficult for hunters to know which licence applied to a particular area, who the licence holder was and how they could be contacted to gain permission.
Grazing licences cover hundreds of thousands of hectares of Victoria’s mountain country. The old policy was established on the premise that land held under a grazing licence was considered to be ‘private property’ for the purpose of the Firearms Act and effectively locked deer hunters out of huge areas of prime deer country. The ‘private property’ premise has been shown to be incorrect and hunters do not need the permission of the licensee to access and hunt on that land.
The Association congratulates ADA for commissioning the expert legal opinion that demonstrated the old policy had no legal backing. Without that evidence the subsequent advocacy and lobbying work of both organisations was unlikely to have been successful.
SSAA Victoria supports multiple-use activity in state forests and does not object to grazing licences being issued for public land. However, the use of public land by any one group should not exclude others from also utilising the area. State forests should be available for the use and enjoyment of all Victorians, including hunters. The change of policy allows grazing to continue but clarifies that hunting can also occur in those areas.
The change relates to grazing licences held in state forests in alpine areas in the east of the state. Leased land does have the same status as private property and permission must still be obtained from lease holders before accessing their property.
Hunters must comply with the Firearms Act and hunting regulations. It is the responsibility of every hunter to know the land status of an area they intend to hunt and to ensure it is legal to hunt there.
Members are also reminded that cattle grazing is a legitimate activity permitted under licence in many state forests. The cattlemen and women have a long and close association with the areas where they graze their cattle, often going back generations, and should be respected in the same vein as all bush users.
Cattle grazers have identified that mustering is a key time for them each year. It takes considerable time and effort to round up cattle from large areas of forest. The last thing they want is for cattle to be unnecessarily stirred up and potentially dispersed by other bush users.
Cattle should not be disturbed by hunters and members are encouraged to consider not hunting in areas during the short time when mustering occurs. While hunters have every right to use the area, it is one of those situations where potential conflict can be easily avoided with a reasonable approach. The Association will share mustering locations and dates with members (when provided by the licence holders) to enable them to better plan their hunts during those times to avoid any negative interaction.
The Association is pleased to see this long running and complex issue resolved and congratulates the Andrews Labor Government for honouring its pre-election pledge on the matter.
Updated hunting maps should be posted on the More to Explore App and the GMA website by May 1. Members should check the maps on a regular basis to see which areas have been affected and to monitor any other changes.