Duck Hunting Season

The Hon. M.C. PARNELL (14:58): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking a question of the Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation about the 2016 duck hunting season in South Australia.

Leave granted.

The Hon. M.C. PARNELL: I have recently been provided with a copy of a decision-making matrix of ecological criteria, which I understand is prepared by the Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources to inform their recommendations to the minister regarding the duck hunting season. The matrix lists six ecological criteria:

South Australian waterfowl abundance;

SA wetland status;

SA River Murray inflows;

total waterfowl abundance as measured by the Eastern Australian Waterbird Survey, which is one of the largest wildlife surveys in Australia, and it surveys major wetland sites in the Murray-Darling Basin;

the number of all waterbird species that are breeding; and

the breeding index of all species.

The data against each of these six criteria informs whether the open season for ducks should be full, restricted or no season.

The 2015 data that informs the decision-making for the 2016 season shows that only one waterbird species was breeding—and that was black swans which were breeding at a single location. The breeding index of all species was zero. In addition, the total waterfowl abundance from the Eastern Australian Waterbird Survey, which covers almost half of Australia, is the second lowest on record.

The assessment of these three criteria on the government's own decision-making matrix shows that there should be no duck hunting season in 2016. Furthermore, the department's announcement of the 2016 duck and quail open seasons states, 'Seasonal conditions in 2015 have been below average to well below average at a local South Australian scale and, at a broader eastern Australian scale, conditions are very poor.' My questions are:

1. Given the department's own advice as per their decision-making matrix that three of the six ecological criteria indicate a need for no season, why has the minister decided to allow a duck hunting season this year?

2. When will this Labor government grasp the nettle and join other states, including Western Australia, Queensland and New South Wales, in banning the barbaric practice of hunting ducks and quail for recreation?

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER (Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation, Minister for Water and the River Murray, Minister for Climate Change) (15:01): Can I say thank you to the gallery for their interesting side remarks and, as I said, the Hon. Mr Brokenshire wants to shoot as many ducks as possible. That is not our intention.

The Hon. R.I. Lucas interjecting:

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: I do not even think he wants to eat them, the Hon. Mr Lucas; I think he just wants to shoot them. The Hon. Mr Stephens might offer to take a few off his hands perhaps. In considering any open duck and quail hunting season, I always seek to ensure that the season will not impact upon healthy populations of game birds and that their welfare is maximised.

I advise that the South Australian government only makes a decision on the duck and quail open season after a consultative process has been completed. During that consultative process a range of information, views and advice is considered, with particular attention to appropriate environmental conditions. I understand the Hon. Mr Parnell, in a rush of blood to the head with all these nominations for police commissioner echoing around the chamber today, would like to see himself installed as the commissioner for duck hunting and wants to interpret the environmental and the ecological data, as if he was a technical expert himself.

I have to say he is putting himself right up there on the podium, even above where I would put myself because I do not make the decision based on that technical advice and data and interpret it myself. I have an expert panel advise me on that data. I get them to advise me on that data. I do not interpret it and I am not quite sure the Hon. Mr Parnell is also qualified to make those determinations however he might portray himself in here. I do not think the job of duck hunting commissioner is available for Mr Parnell.

The Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources (DEWNR) provides these recommendations on the hunting season based on the season's environmental conditions. DEWNR seeks advice from the Duck and Quail Stakeholder Reference Group, which is made up of conservation representatives and hunting and wildlife organisations. I am advised that for the 2016 open season, DEWNR discussed a number of topics with the reference group, including a detailed analysis of climatic conditions, an assessment of wetland conditions, and it looked at waterfowl numbers at both the state and national level.

This includes surveys of waterfowl numbers in South Australian estuaries and wetlands, as well as surveys conducted across the east coast of Australia, I am advised, which can also have an effect on South Australian populations because they migrate across the border. In December 2015, in recognition of the significantly dry environmental conditions, lower bird numbers and the possible impact of hunting on bird populations, I announced that the 2016 duck and quail hunting season would be restricted.

As a result, the duck hunting season started five weeks later than open seasons in past years. The 2016 duck hunting season commenced on Saturday 19 March 2016 and will conclude on Sunday 26 June 2016. The 2016 quail hunting open season commenced on Saturday 13 February and will conclude on Sunday 31 July 2016. Based on the expert scientific advice and the outcomes of engagement, the government has reduced the season's length and also the bag limits. This means that hunters will only be able to hunt five ducks per hunter per day, along with a restriction of hunting of the species of blue-winged shoveler and hardhead ducks. The bag limit is reduced from the restricted bag limit of 10 ducks in 2014 and 2015, I am advised.

For quail hunting, the hunters will be able to take 20 birds per hunter, per day. This is reduced from 25 birds in 2015. It responds to a less favourable habitat for quail this season, which has been my advice. Hunters are also being reminded that only stubble quail can be taken during the quail open season, so presumably there are other species of quail that are sometimes hunted. There will also be no hunting in the Bool Lagoon Game Reserve or the Bucks Lake Game Reserve due to the environmental conditions that have been reported to me.

The PRESIDENT: A supplementary, the Hon. Mr Parnell.