End Duck Shooting

Native waterbirds are a protected species, yet for three months of the year, they are allowed to be shot, killed and maimed. The Animal Justice Party will end recreational duck shooting in Victoria – just as it has been banned in New South Wales, Queensland and Western Australia.

The Problem

Victoria is one of only a few remaining Australian states that still allows a recreational duck shooting season each year.

Despite being protected under our wildlife laws, each year, an exemption is made to permit an open season on our precious native waterbirds. This 3-month recreational duck shooting season results in the suffering and death of thousands of birds.

Duck shooting is cruel, environmentally destructive, and is a deterrent for nature-based tourism which plays a vital part in our economy and environmental sustainability. Recreational duck shooting not only impacts ducks, but the disturbance caused by gunfire also impacts other native, endangered and migratory species and humans who live or undertake recreational activities nearby. Ducks abandon feeding or breeding grounds, they suffer trauma and shock, and in the worst case, they become unintended victims of gunshot through mistaken identity or willful illegal behaviour on the part of duck shooters. 

The impacts of recreational duck shooting on individual species and long-term populations and biodiversity are significant. Combined with the thousands of plastic cartridges, wadding and metal pellets left behind in our waterways, duck shooting is an environmental disaster. 

87 percent of Victorians oppose duck shooting, and it is already banned in New South Wales, Queensland and Western Australia. Despite mounting pressure from the Victorian public, the State Government allows the killing to continue.

The Solution

Native animals should be protected, without exemption. The Animal Justice Party will ban recreational duck shooting in Victoria.

A ban on duck shooting will benefit our state’s wildlife and our struggling regional economies. An end to recreational duck shooting will enable sustainable economic benefits to flow to the regions by opening up rural waterways to eco-tourism operations, such as hiking, kayaking events and bird-watching tours. 

In 2021, Wildlife Victoria responded to 3,000 inquiries from the public regarding duck welfare, and volunteers attended to 7,118 ducks. These efforts would be better redirected to helping native animals in need, not ones that the Victorian Government has approved to be shot out of the sky.

Keeping Victoria's public spaces accessible to all people, without restrictions, provides residents and visitors with the opportunity to enjoy a range of recreational activities. According to the Victorian Government, “spending time in nature keeps us healthy”.

Victoria’s riverway and wetland environments are home to a diverse ecosystem supporting native wildlife and flora, migratory bird species, threatened species and Ramsar wetlands. Protecting birdlife in our waterways has positive outcomes for Victoria’s biodiversity and even extends beyond our borders.

Our Focus

• Ban duck shooting in Victoria
• Protect threatened and endangered waterbirds
• Prioritise biodiversity and wetland conservation
• Encourage and invest in eco-tourism