The Great Forest National Park: what it means for shooting in Victoria
The CFCV needs you to be ready to take action.
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.
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.