Hunters aim for game
A RECREATIONAL hunter has brought a petition before the Queensland Parliament to legislate the hunting of feral game in state forests for a three- year trial, a proposal backed by nearly 7000 people.
Daniel Boniface, a full- time student studying a bachelor’s degree in environmental science and also a recreational hunter, said such schemes were in place in NSW and Victoria, and had proven “safe and successful”.
Hunting in Queensland is limited to feral animals on private property, with the landowners’ permission to hunt. In the petition – which has been supported by Hinchinbrook MP Nick Dametto – the targeted feral species includes deer, goats, pigs, foxes, feral dogs and feral cats in Queensland’s state forests.
Mr Boniface said the legislation would have “multi- faceted economic and ecological” benefits.
“The obvious benefits to the environment include ameliorating damage inflicted by pigs, deer, buffalo, donkeys and feral cattle and also alleviating pressures of predation from foxes, feral cats and feral dogs,” he said.
“The economic benefits of that would involve hunters from interstate, hunters on the southeast corner of Queensland travelling to remote communities and spending money on things like accommodation, fuel, food, drinks, ice and souvenirs.
“And there’s a lot of areas stricken by drought and unemployment and the drought isn’t just affecting primary producers, it’s affecting their communities because people aren’t spending money.”
Mr Boniface referred to an economic impact of recreational hunting in NSW in a report by the NSW Department of Primary Industries from May last year which revealed recre- ational hunting by the 19,000 NSW game hunting licence- holders accounts for $ 119 million of gross state product and 860 jobs.
The report further showed the 207,000 non- game licence- holders account for between $ 446 million and $ 1,366 million of gross state product and between 3932 and 11,572 jobs.
Mr Boniface said the NSW DPI report should act as a case study for a similar scheme to be established in Queensland.
Already 6754 signatures have been made since the petition was posted on September 4, with Mr Boniface hoping for 10,000 signatures.
THE OBVIOUS BENEFITS TO THE ENVIRONMENT INCLUDE AMELIORATING DAMAGE INFLICTED BY PIGS, DEER, BUFFALO, DONKEYS AND FERAL CATTLE AND ALSO ALLEVIATING PRESSURES OF PREDATION FROM FOXES, FERAL CATS AND FERAL DOGS.
DANIEL BONIFACE