Feral Deer

The Hon. N.J. CENTOFANTI (Leader of the Opposition) (15:00): Supplementary: does the minister support the use of commercial and recreational hunters as part of the culling program?

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN (Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development, Minister for Forest Industries) (15:00): The Leader of the Opposition should be aware that those are part of the culling program.

The Hon. N.J. Centofanti: Do you support them? Do you support them ongoing, Clare?

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN: Of course, they are part of the ongoing program. Some of the landowners that I met with last week indicated that they use commercial shooters as part of the eradication program, but they also emphasised that the effectiveness of that can in no way address the overwhelming problem of feral deer. That is why the aerial culling program is so important. That is why they continue to support it and that is why a number of them expressed their extreme disappointment to me about the approach of those opposite, who are supposed to be the farmers' friend.