The Great Forest National Park: what it means for shooting in Victoria

GFNP-blog-image2A new national park proposed for Victoria’s inner north east could have a devastating impact on Victoria’s shooting industry.

The CFCV needs you to be ready to take action.

Full GFNP map

A plan by Labor to create the Great Forest National Park (GFNP) would take in the dark green area you see on the above map – almost the entire area form Eildon to Noojee to Kinglake – a total of 355,000 ha of land.

GFNP motion

It’s not just conjecture.  This motion on notice from the Greens in Parliament means the issue will be voted on in the near future. At this stage we don’t know which way Labor will go on it, but it’s not hard to see them supporting what they started.

What it means

With some minor exceptions, hunting isn’t allowed in national parks. If the park gets the green light, the future of deer hunting, one of Victoria’s most popular activities, could be severely curtailed.

The impact on the small towns and economies which depend on hunting could also be devastating. Another casualty would be vermin control, which is defined as hunting.

What is also not clear is the area takes in towns where many shooters live – with their guns safely locked away. Guns are allowed on private property and main roads, but once you take a gun down a track, you could be in trouble.

We need shooters across Victoria to understand what this means for the future of shooting in Victoria.
This was an election issue in 2014

In the lead up to the 2014 Victorian State Election, Labor’s election platform included the creation of the GFNP. This was supported by the Greens but not the incumbent Liberal-National Coalition.

Divisions within Labor, brought on by opposition to the proposal, resulted in the commitment to establish the park being dropped from their election platform days before the election.

However the new Minister for Environment, Lisa Neville, has expressed her support for the park and as we’ve already noted, the matter already listed for voting on in Parliament.

What are those advocating for the GFNP saying?

The number of advocates is many and they are well funded and well organised.

They have a slick website at http://www.greatforestnationalpark.com.au/ where they offer organised tours, promotional videos and are seeking donations.

Their website lists a 46 businesses as supporters of the proposal. It also lists a number of prominent individual supporters including actors, Father Bob Maguire, Tim Ferguson and Wendy Harmer.

The current situation

Major shooting interests have been working on this for a while. They are working to make sure shooting interests are represented on the Taskforce, whose role will be to take the matter further. They are also waiting to see who will chair the Taskforce.

The CFCV is waiting to see if these representations will have any impact. Currently the structure of the Taskforce includes interests sympathetic to the Greens, the CMFEU and Victorian Association of Forest Industries.

If shooting interests are not properly represented, then hunting could become a pawn that gets traded away.

Do this now!

This proposal has major implications for shooting in Victoria – something the Greens would be very happy to see. Don’t forget our earlier post on the dangers of the Green vote .

Make sure your shooting friends get this article and connect with us through Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, or email – because we may need their help at short notice.

Leave a comment ?

18 Comments.

  1. 😳 not having to much to say the people of vic and Australia the people living in suburban Australia seem to taking over every ones rights for their own way of beliefs not everyone wants to watch sports

  2. We are loosing our regional way of life and the things that are important to us! The lemmings from the left are not interested in anyone else or their interests.

  3. I’m the owner of the 4×4 business listed in the business supporters section of GFNP website. The reason we decided to list ourselves as a supporter is due to the fact that there was NO representation from 4wd, Hunting or Shooting businesses, as part of the support we have been invited to represent the views and requirements of the hunting and 4wding groups to give input as to what WE WANT as 4wders and Hunters as part of the proposal. If there is no stakeholder representation then there is no input and THEN that’s when we get locked out. We are doing what we can as a business and individuals to make sure our recreations are represented as part of this proposal. I hope that has cleared up the situation and that people who read this understand the reasons for us being there. Thanks alot – Daniel Kozaris – http://www.kpd4x4.com

  4. Daniel Kozaris your 4×4 business will also go.At our shire council meeting the other night when a vote to do a report into a GNFP was upheld. The comments about 4×4 driving was not favorable(From one Councillor)he being a green supporter.So please do not get sucked into believing that you will still be able to operate if it is all made into a GNFP.

  5. Thanks for the heads up Margaret. Media driven negativity to 4wding activities is rife in todays society unfortunately.The majority of people who 4wd are very respectful of the bush, however as you would know the media love making news out of small issues and minority groups. I certainly won’t be sucked into anything however I will have my say and make sure there is representation for the 4wding and hunting community in the formal proposal.

  6. hello
    As a hunter , 4wder , fisherman , dirt bike rider and camping enthusiast I have been enjoying this area now for over 25 years.
    I hunt sambar in winter , fish and camp in summer and enjoy this magnificent place like hundreds of others that I regularly see in the same places every year.
    We buy all our supply’s from the local community of Buxton , Thornton and Eildon and most weekends the local businesses are catering for hundreds of people and family’s like myself.
    I struggle to understand how closing this area off to literally hundreds of hunters will help to stimulate the struggling local economy’s of these little towns that depend on this cash flow into their towns.
    It will also effect others that enjoy this great place as well.
    I and others support the people that Over the years have made friends with and watched their children grow up in these areas.

    I am at a loss to understand why these greenies have so much say .

    Regards
    Rob

  7. Theres a website for this great forest thing, I just went on it and theres a window to write comment’s, I left a comment, cautioning them how they go about this, no 4wders & campers means forest track will get over grown and no access during the next bush fire means there possums will all get BBQ’d, and that no access for hunters will mean a Deer population explosion of mega proportions adding to the already over population, reminding them of New Zealand’s Deer problems of the 60’s and 70’s, reminding them at the end of it all we humans play a part of the ecosystem to.
    just me 2 cents worth

  8. How is it stimulating struggling local economy? By stopping hunters etc going to these areas then it means less people buying from small food shops etc while travelling through small towns. Businesses selling equipment for hunting, what happens to them? Am over being dictated too!

  9. Yer lock up all that Forrest and let in burn like an inferno so it kills off every living animal for square kilometres . Haven’t the Dpi or government learnt anything over the past 10 plus years ? Feral animals need to be culled or the whole ecosystem will suffer ! Wake up you morons .

  10. On top of all this the GFNP will put an end to our timber industry in Victoria.

    80,000 effected directly and another 120,000 effected indirectly.

    What plans do the Greens have for re-employing 200,000 people?

  11. How can they justify these towns missing out on a huge slice of the $430 million dollars hunting brings to the Victorian economy every year.
    By the way, leadbeater possums biggest threat is bushfires. So all tree huggers need to understand that just because you classify the forest a National Park, will not stop it from burning.

  12. For the sake of saving the environment and looking after forests and local rural economies, we should be rescinding ill advised badly managed Parks where National Park status restricts desirable management options. Not creating more. Some have only been declared because activists convinced politicians in city electorates they are vote catchers. Barmah Forest National Park along the Murray River is one of these.

    There is a proposal floating to gauge what residents and ratepayers in the area really want. ie A referendum asking whether those on the Shepparton electorate component (western end) of Moira Shire would prefer that this forest revert to multiple use productive state – including conservation objectives. Among other advantages this would give much increased protection against devastation by wildfire compared with the present messy timebomb. Would not surprise me if this question is included with postal vote for election of councillors nest year that the order of 95% of citizens and non resident ratepayers would indicate they would like at least a large proportion of the National Park in the area “undeclared”. A strong message to politicians!

    Note that similar referendums could also be conducted in municipalities adjoining the proposed Great Forest National Park. Most likely would be a strong vote against it but by a smaller majority than near Barmah.

  13. I hunt with my father all the time recently shot a stag, hunting is a huge matter for us we love the outdoors, if they were to ban hunting for us people we would be hugely affected

  14. 😳 Not happy, farming at the edge of the forest and already we are overrun with deer and foxes, not to mention wild dogs.
    Who is going to cull/ or at least keep the numbers down. What will happen to the recreation areas? over grown with weeds etc.
    Not a good outcome.

  15. The GFNP web site has a section to select you favorite activity, not sure if that was there before, Hunting is one of the options, i would urge anyone that wants to keep hunting access open to go in and submit an activity

  16. Parks Vic cannot manage the areas that they already administer. They don’t have sufficient resources and are unlikely to get them. Weeds ( blackberries) feral animals and increased fire hazards are the outcomes we are likely to get. Restricting the use of this huge area close to Melbourne is a feel good for greenies and their sympathisers who resent outdoor users enjoying themselves.

  17. Anthony Brobbel

    This is so typical. Well if they do this then they can bloody well change the Act to allow carriage and use of firearms ib the area as well as hunting 😡

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