This morning, SSAA Victoria has gone through the Victorian budget papers.
For the second year in a row, our expectations were not high for this year’s budget, and for a second year in a row, we were correct.
Last year’s budget supported the changes required to support the commitments to continue with duck hunting, and that funding is secure. This year’s budget also delivers $1.1m to support the Kangaroo Harvesting Program and offers another reprieve for the fox bounty program, providing $2.1m for funding for another year.
SSAA Victoria is hopeful that next year’s budget, which will come just six months before the State Election, will provide more opportunities for shooting and hunting, and the Association will continue to pursue that, including
- Re-establishing a grants program for shooting facilities to support upgrades for shooting clubs across the State
- Developing a third Sustainable Hunting Action Plan to grow hunting
- Supporting a ‘Hunters for the Hungry’ program to convert shoot-to-waste culling programs to a positive initiative to feed marginalised Victorians.
Shooting contributes hundreds of millions of dollars and thousands of jobs to Victoria, and every dollar invested in shooting delivers several dollars of benefits to the State.