Barry O'Farrell, Premier of NSW, announced on 30th
May that the NSW Government will allow recreational hunters into 34 of the
state's National Parks, 31 Nature Reserves and 14 State Conservation Reserves in order
to secure Shooters Party support for further electricity privatisation.
This is yet a further cave-in to the marginal blood sports lobby that
began under the former Labor Government which also did sleazy back room deals
in order to get legislation through the upper house of State Parliament.
What is significant about this deal is that the Premier promised the
people of NSW that he would not be allowing recreational hunters into
National Parks. So here we have another
politician, another broken promise. Is
it any wonder that ordinary people have little respect for politicians?
Although the deal is all about expediting the selling off of
community-owned electricity assets, Mr O'Farrell has tried to clothe it in a
veil of respectability by claiming it is a good thing for the State's National
Parks. He claims it is a "sensible
measure" aimed at removing pests – i.e. feral animals such as pigs, goats,
foxes and rabbits. This claim is laughable.
National Parks officers already run professional pest eradication
programs in National Parks. Opening our
National Parks (not the politicians' or the hunters' national parks) to those
to whom killing is an enjoyable recreational activity is a retrograde step
which ignores the purpose for which National Parks were dedicated. And any suggestion that these hunters are
anxious to invade our national parks to save native wildlife is ludicrous.
National Parks and Nature Reserves are special areas for
biodiversity conservation and activities such as bushwalking and the enjoyment
of the natural world. Recreational
hunting is not compatible with these activities.
Letting hunters loose in the National Parks Estate will
pose a safety threat to those community members who want to enjoy nature in
what will become hunting preserves.
Moreover, there are concerns that these hunters are always
anxious to see the stocks of target animals maintained so that their
"sport" will continue to flourish. Presumably, there will never be a
serious effort at eradication. So what
will the general community gain ?
Since it gained office, the NSW Government has
increasingly demonstrated its lack of interest in protecting our
natural heritage. The Premier's latest
attack suggests that the Government is waging war on the environment and those
who value it.
What you can do:
Send emails expressing your
concern to the Premier, Barry O'Farrell and the Deputy Premier, Andrew Stoner.
