02/09/2024
Today, the Victorian government released its "Statement of Reasons" regarding remaking the Wildlife (Game) Regulations that come into effect on September 7, 2024.
During this remake, which began on 1 July with the launch of the Regulatory Impact Statement, the most contentious issue for recreational deer hunters was a proposal to ban lead bullets from 31 December 2028.
This was a core focus of the Australian Deer Association's advocacy efforts over the last two months.
Pleasingly, we can now reveal that the ban is no longer going ahead.
This resulted from a lot of hard work, and it should be noted that this proposal was met with universal opposition. The department reportedly received 5,521 submissions; it would be fair to suggest that most opposed the ban, particularly other hunting and shooting organisations.
Whilst this is a significant day in recreational deer hunting regarding the use of non-lead projectiles, it should be noted that this conversation will not disappear in the future.
The Australian Deer Association will continue to work to educate people on lead alternatives so that hunters can make as informed a choice as possible when selecting their ammunition.
Minister Dimopoulos also commented (via press release) while releasing the regulations, "Victoria has some of the best and most exciting hunting opportunities in Australia. In announcing these new regulations, the Labor Government reaffirms its support of game hunting as a legitimate recreational activity that contributes positively to our regional economies."
Having such recognition of our activity by the Minister and the Government is appreciated.
Some other updates that have gone through the regulations that are relevant to deer hunting:
- The use of handheld thermals during the day (These devices can only be handheld, and they are not permitted to be attached to a firearm).
- A slated change to hog deer checking stations in time for the 2026 season (providing sufficient time for the required IT infrastructure upgrades).
- An increase in licence fees
- The address of licence holder won't feature on your game licence
- Deer decoys can be used for deer hunting
- Reasonable effort to dispatch a struck deer
Additional information is available from DJSIR.
A full copy of the regulations can be viewed here.
Thanks again to the support of our members who enable the Australian Deer Association to undertake its critical advocacy work.
Our submission can be read here.