April 16, 2024 • 11 mins
Immerse yourself in all things deer in Australia with our newly introduced series, "The Roar” on the Australian Deer Podcast, covering all the latest news related to wild deer in Australia. In our first episode, we covered a range of topics with our esteemed guest sean Kilkenny, the leader of advocacy and deer management with the Australian Deer Association.
Our discussion began with an exploration of the Animal Care and Protection Bill (VIC), detailing the changes in legislation from animal welfare to animal rights and explaining its impact on deer hunters. We highlighted the importance of regulations and how they influence the perspective on hunting, and the significant changes in animal rights that may affect recreational deer hunting.
We also elaborated on the developments regarding land tenure in the central highlands of Victoria, associating it with the termination of native timber harvesting. The significance and potential implications of any changes in land tenure for recreational activities including deer hunting with dogs were explored. A new promising initiative, the Great Outdoors Task Force represents a step forward in acknowledging recreational land users.
Lastly, we wrapped up our podcast with an overview of the recent Tasmanian elections, foreseeing no immediate alterations to hunting practices in Tasmania.
Join us every month for your essential dose of all things deer. All deer hunters and enthusiasts are encouraged to provide us with their feedback and proposed topics of interests that you would like us to cover!.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Music.
(00:09):
Of all, your monthly gateway to the captivating world of Australian deer.
Join us as we explore the latest news and events shaping landscapes of wild deer across Australia.
Tune in for your monthly dose of all things deer, exclusively on the Australian Deer Podcast.
(00:29):
Joining us today is Sean Kilkenny, the leader of advocacy and deer management
with the Australian Deer Association.
Welcome, Sean. Thanks, Paul. Good to be with you today.
And today marks the first of our RAW podcast.
Would you like to explain to people what we hope to achieve with this new format?
Yeah, no problems at all. The RAW will be a monthly update on the latest news
(00:52):
and events regarding wild deer in Australia.
A short and easy to consume podcast that keeps you informed and up to date on the latest topics.
There you go. Well, that should be well received by
the deer hunters out there looking forward to
this and we're excited to hear some people's feedback about what they might
like to hear and any subjects that they would like to for us to deep dive on
(01:14):
yep and speaking of which sean what are the three areas we're going to be covering
today so today we're going to touch off on the animal care and protection bill Bill.
The going is on with the central highlands and the land tenure issue there in Victoria.
And then finally, we'll wrap it up with the fallout from the Tasmanian election.
(01:36):
Beautiful. Okay, so we'll get straight into it. The Animal Care and Protection
Bill, what is it and what is it replacing?
So basically, the Animal Care and Protection Bill is replacing the Prevention
of Cruelties to Animals Act, which was originally written in 1986.
So this new care and protection bill is designed to replace that and effectively
(01:59):
look at it through a new lens of not necessarily just the prevention of cruelty,
but then also to consider moving from animal welfare to animal rights.
Okay. Okay. So what's the potential significance and its impacts on deer hunters?
So this is an interesting one where it changes the way that animals are viewed
(02:20):
within the legislative framework.
The movement from welfare to rights is fairly significant.
That's something that was seen throughout society as a whole already.
That has many implications about the onus that's placed on people that are responsible for animals.
Being a bit more broad than what it was in the
(02:42):
past this is where it gets interesting with deer
hunting per se where under the current prevention
of cruelties to animals act the activity
in of itself of hunting is currently exempt
from the act so the act doesn't actually cover it we obviously
have then game regulations that manage that so there's no ability for people
(03:05):
to not have any will be absolved of responsibility for animal welfare but it's
handled in a different way one of the things that we fought or really hard on
on this was to ensure that remained.
So there's kind of like an inherent contradiction between like an animal welfare
perspective and then the reality that you harvest an animal yep that sort of
(03:27):
doesn't reconcile and so our argument given is that, well, ultimately,
you actually shouldn't have this in the act at all, even if you provide an exception to the act,
which is what they've done, which is good, but not including it at all,
having it adjacent is ideal.
But the reality is, with the exception that effectively nothing will change
(03:50):
or should change for recreational deer hunting, which is quite good news,
and it was a pretty significant win on our behalf.
Beautiful. Looking forward, what's the timeframe for the completion of the bill to become an act?
So they've just finished one
of the latest consultation such feedback sessions. I wouldn't expect...
(04:13):
Rewriting all the passing of this through pile for probably another couple of
years so it's a bit of a slower burn but we are getting to the pointy end of
this whole process there's been some movement with the end of native timber
harvesting and associated potential changes to land tenure the current focus
on the central highlands area sean would you like to elaborate.
Yes there's a bit of a bit to unpack on this one people are obviously aware
(04:36):
of the concept of the Great Forest National Park.
And the whole purpose or one of the original purposes on people campaigning
to create the Great Forest National Park was as a way or a means to end the
native timber harvesting industry in Victoria,
which obviously did a lot of its work through that central highlands,
big river, state forest.
(04:57):
If a land changes to a national park, clearly you can't then continue logging
operations, which would then effectively break the economic model of the timber
harvest and then prevent it from happening.
As a result, before that could actually eventuate with the creation of a park,
there was a decision to end timber harvesting in Victoria regardless,
(05:18):
and that came into effect on 1 January.
So whilst in the past people were advocating for a Great Forest National Park
to prevent native timber harvesting from continuing, that's now been stopped regardless.
Regardless so in in effect the wind's being
taken out of the sail for the creation of that park because their
(05:39):
ultimate goal of stopping native timber
harvesting has occurred yep where it ties into land tenure which is where we
come into play is for the most part all of the the locking occurred on state
forest in state forest is where you can undertake a wide variety of recreational
(05:59):
activities activities,
in particular deer hunting with dogs, be it hounds or gundogs.
Should that land tenure change post-native timber harvesting to something else,
then there would be a consequence for the activities that are allowed to operate
or be conducted within no certain land tenures.
That's something that a lot of people aren't necessarily aware of because they
(06:22):
just think, oh, you change the land tenure, here's a new name,
everything continues on as it were.
But no, the devil is in the detail and should there be a change there would
be consequences to land users and then the fight would be on to then get access
to the newly formed national park,
let's just say that they did create a national park and
(06:43):
we don't know how big it was or where it was or whatever but let's just conceptually
work with that there would be a consequence where
no one with a dog would be able to hunt
or even bring your dog into that park yeah but personally i've got a gun dog
that would mean that i couldn't go there with my pointer because it's a national
park there'd be hound crews that couldn't go to where they were possibly before
(07:05):
people that normally camped that would have dogs wouldn't have access to those
same areas under the same circumstances.
So the creation of that would be a big change agent for a lot of people.
And that's something that we're working really hard with government about addressing those concerns.
And how's that looking at the moment?
Recently, we've actually got some fairly good news out of the government with
(07:28):
the creation of the Great Outdoors Task Force.
This task force in of itself is focused on ensuring,
while working towards the recognition and acknowledging the role that recreational
users of the land have a say and that they are stakeholders in deciding future
land tenures and what that looks like, which is quite exciting.
(07:49):
So we've been working on this for, well, probably a year.
Obviously, Great Forest National Park has been going on for the best part of
a decade regardless, but things have come to a head much more recent and we've
been fortunate enough to be working quite hard focusing on this issue about the consequences.
Consequences and that's where the government have then come to
taken a step forward and recognized recreational deer
(08:11):
hunters so the ADA got a nod on that but also other
bush users such as the four-wheel drivers and fishers that
hey you guys use this land you're effectively
the number one stakeholder of it from a recreational point of
view now we want to make sure that we can engage
and speak with you to try and decide what we
will do moving forward yep so it sounds fairly positive
(08:33):
at this stage look it's certainly much better than what
it was say eight months ago the creation of that task force was not an accident
the government do things on purpose so it's quite positive that they have done
that over the next probably month or so as the details start to get filled out
on this task force and what it's undertaking and its goals that's where we'll be in a much more.
(08:57):
Well, clarity will be provided but the reality is I'm much happier now than
I was probably say six months ago.
So at this stage we're sitting back waiting to see what unfolds.
It's a good early sign and it's positive but look, that doesn't mean that there's
any guarantee of anything but we are much better off with this task force recognising
(09:17):
our activities than one that doesn't. Thanks for that update, Sean.
Across the Bass Strait there's been an election down in Tasmania you.
Can you give us a recap on that situation, please? There was an early election
held by the local Liberal government there, literally just over the last few days,
with the results slowly trickling through after all the preferences and what have been finalised.
(09:40):
It looks like the Liberals are unable to create a government on their own,
and they'll then form one with supply guaranteed, effectively,
from the Jackie Lambie network.
Work the 14 liberal seats three jackie
lambies brings them to 17 technically they need
18 there's three independents now that
(10:01):
they'll start to talk to because they'll effectively need one of them and that
looks like that'll probably be what the government yeah consists of or at least
the minority government moving forward for the next few years down in tassie
so at this stage do you Do you foresee any changes in relation to hunting down in Tasmania?
(10:21):
I wouldn't say that there would be off the cuff. Prior to the election,
through a lot of ongoing advocacy work with ADA and our local representative there, Mr.
Scott Freeman, we got a pretty good sense of engagement from the government.
And also now, prior to the election, we got a good set of commitments about
working together on the advisory committees and implementing the wild deer strategy.
(10:44):
There were good signs there and effectively that there wasn't a desire for change
from the current set of circumstances.
There is a wild deer strategy there that runs out until 2027 that we worked hard to get up.
And that was actually quite widely accepted by virtually all stakeholders.
The devil in the detail is always how those strategies and policies then get
(11:06):
implemented. mentored.
So it looks like providing accountability to be a part of implementing that
strategy will be where the cut and thrust is moving forward there.
So it's not too bad of a position at the moment.
Now that we've covered the three subjects for today, it's time to wrap it up.
Thanks for your time today, Sean, and we'll catch up next month.
(11:26):
You're welcome. Thank you very much, Paul.
See you all soon. same the roar on the australian deer podcast brought to you
by the australian deer association proudly in partnership.
Music.
Music.
(00:09):
Of all, your monthly gateway to the captivating world of Australian deer.
Join us as we explore the latest news and events shaping landscapes of wild deer across Australia.
Tune in for your monthly dose of all things deer, exclusively on the Australian Deer Podcast.
(00:29):
Joining us today is Sean Kilkenny, the leader of advocacy and deer management
with the Australian Deer Association.
Welcome, Sean. Thanks, Paul. Good to be with you today.
And today marks the first of our RAW podcast.
Would you like to explain to people what we hope to achieve with this new format?
Yeah, no problems at all. The RAW will be a monthly update on the latest news
(00:52):
and events regarding wild deer in Australia.
A short and easy to consume podcast that keeps you informed and up to date on the latest topics.
There you go. Well, that should be well received by
the deer hunters out there looking forward to
this and we're excited to hear some people's feedback about what they might
like to hear and any subjects that they would like to for us to deep dive on
(01:14):
yep and speaking of which sean what are the three areas we're going to be covering
today so today we're going to touch off on the animal care and protection bill Bill.
The going is on with the central highlands and the land tenure issue there in Victoria.
And then finally, we'll wrap it up with the fallout from the Tasmanian election.
(01:36):
Beautiful. Okay, so we'll get straight into it. The Animal Care and Protection
Bill, what is it and what is it replacing?
So basically, the Animal Care and Protection Bill is replacing the Prevention
of Cruelties to Animals Act, which was originally written in 1986.
So this new care and protection bill is designed to replace that and effectively
(01:59):
look at it through a new lens of not necessarily just the prevention of cruelty,
but then also to consider moving from animal welfare to animal rights.
Okay. Okay. So what's the potential significance and its impacts on deer hunters?
So this is an interesting one where it changes the way that animals are viewed
(02:20):
within the legislative framework.
The movement from welfare to rights is fairly significant.
That's something that was seen throughout society as a whole already.
That has many implications about the onus that's placed on people that are responsible for animals.
Being a bit more broad than what it was in the
(02:42):
past this is where it gets interesting with deer
hunting per se where under the current prevention
of cruelties to animals act the activity
in of itself of hunting is currently exempt
from the act so the act doesn't actually cover it we obviously
have then game regulations that manage that so there's no ability for people
(03:05):
to not have any will be absolved of responsibility for animal welfare but it's
handled in a different way one of the things that we fought or really hard on
on this was to ensure that remained.
So there's kind of like an inherent contradiction between like an animal welfare
perspective and then the reality that you harvest an animal yep that sort of
(03:27):
doesn't reconcile and so our argument given is that, well, ultimately,
you actually shouldn't have this in the act at all, even if you provide an exception to the act,
which is what they've done, which is good, but not including it at all,
having it adjacent is ideal.
But the reality is, with the exception that effectively nothing will change
(03:50):
or should change for recreational deer hunting, which is quite good news,
and it was a pretty significant win on our behalf.
Beautiful. Looking forward, what's the timeframe for the completion of the bill to become an act?
So they've just finished one
of the latest consultation such feedback sessions. I wouldn't expect...
(04:13):
Rewriting all the passing of this through pile for probably another couple of
years so it's a bit of a slower burn but we are getting to the pointy end of
this whole process there's been some movement with the end of native timber
harvesting and associated potential changes to land tenure the current focus
on the central highlands area sean would you like to elaborate.
Yes there's a bit of a bit to unpack on this one people are obviously aware
(04:36):
of the concept of the Great Forest National Park.
And the whole purpose or one of the original purposes on people campaigning
to create the Great Forest National Park was as a way or a means to end the
native timber harvesting industry in Victoria,
which obviously did a lot of its work through that central highlands,
big river, state forest.
(04:57):
If a land changes to a national park, clearly you can't then continue logging
operations, which would then effectively break the economic model of the timber
harvest and then prevent it from happening.
As a result, before that could actually eventuate with the creation of a park,
there was a decision to end timber harvesting in Victoria regardless,
(05:18):
and that came into effect on 1 January.
So whilst in the past people were advocating for a Great Forest National Park
to prevent native timber harvesting from continuing, that's now been stopped regardless.
Regardless so in in effect the wind's being
taken out of the sail for the creation of that park because their
(05:39):
ultimate goal of stopping native timber
harvesting has occurred yep where it ties into land tenure which is where we
come into play is for the most part all of the the locking occurred on state
forest in state forest is where you can undertake a wide variety of recreational
(05:59):
activities activities,
in particular deer hunting with dogs, be it hounds or gundogs.
Should that land tenure change post-native timber harvesting to something else,
then there would be a consequence for the activities that are allowed to operate
or be conducted within no certain land tenures.
That's something that a lot of people aren't necessarily aware of because they
(06:22):
just think, oh, you change the land tenure, here's a new name,
everything continues on as it were.
But no, the devil is in the detail and should there be a change there would
be consequences to land users and then the fight would be on to then get access
to the newly formed national park,
let's just say that they did create a national park and
(06:43):
we don't know how big it was or where it was or whatever but let's just conceptually
work with that there would be a consequence where
no one with a dog would be able to hunt
or even bring your dog into that park yeah but personally i've got a gun dog
that would mean that i couldn't go there with my pointer because it's a national
park there'd be hound crews that couldn't go to where they were possibly before
(07:05):
people that normally camped that would have dogs wouldn't have access to those
same areas under the same circumstances.
So the creation of that would be a big change agent for a lot of people.
And that's something that we're working really hard with government about addressing those concerns.
And how's that looking at the moment?
Recently, we've actually got some fairly good news out of the government with
(07:28):
the creation of the Great Outdoors Task Force.
This task force in of itself is focused on ensuring,
while working towards the recognition and acknowledging the role that recreational
users of the land have a say and that they are stakeholders in deciding future
land tenures and what that looks like, which is quite exciting.
(07:49):
So we've been working on this for, well, probably a year.
Obviously, Great Forest National Park has been going on for the best part of
a decade regardless, but things have come to a head much more recent and we've
been fortunate enough to be working quite hard focusing on this issue about the consequences.
Consequences and that's where the government have then come to
taken a step forward and recognized recreational deer
(08:11):
hunters so the ADA got a nod on that but also other
bush users such as the four-wheel drivers and fishers that
hey you guys use this land you're effectively
the number one stakeholder of it from a recreational point of
view now we want to make sure that we can engage
and speak with you to try and decide what we
will do moving forward yep so it sounds fairly positive
(08:33):
at this stage look it's certainly much better than what
it was say eight months ago the creation of that task force was not an accident
the government do things on purpose so it's quite positive that they have done
that over the next probably month or so as the details start to get filled out
on this task force and what it's undertaking and its goals that's where we'll be in a much more.
(08:57):
Well, clarity will be provided but the reality is I'm much happier now than
I was probably say six months ago.
So at this stage we're sitting back waiting to see what unfolds.
It's a good early sign and it's positive but look, that doesn't mean that there's
any guarantee of anything but we are much better off with this task force recognising
(09:17):
our activities than one that doesn't. Thanks for that update, Sean.
Across the Bass Strait there's been an election down in Tasmania you.
Can you give us a recap on that situation, please? There was an early election
held by the local Liberal government there, literally just over the last few days,
with the results slowly trickling through after all the preferences and what have been finalised.
(09:40):
It looks like the Liberals are unable to create a government on their own,
and they'll then form one with supply guaranteed, effectively,
from the Jackie Lambie network.
Work the 14 liberal seats three jackie
lambies brings them to 17 technically they need
18 there's three independents now that
(10:01):
they'll start to talk to because they'll effectively need one of them and that
looks like that'll probably be what the government yeah consists of or at least
the minority government moving forward for the next few years down in tassie
so at this stage do you Do you foresee any changes in relation to hunting down in Tasmania?
(10:21):
I wouldn't say that there would be off the cuff. Prior to the election,
through a lot of ongoing advocacy work with ADA and our local representative there, Mr.
Scott Freeman, we got a pretty good sense of engagement from the government.
And also now, prior to the election, we got a good set of commitments about
working together on the advisory committees and implementing the wild deer strategy.
(10:44):
There were good signs there and effectively that there wasn't a desire for change
from the current set of circumstances.
There is a wild deer strategy there that runs out until 2027 that we worked hard to get up.
And that was actually quite widely accepted by virtually all stakeholders.
The devil in the detail is always how those strategies and policies then get
(11:06):
implemented. mentored.
So it looks like providing accountability to be a part of implementing that
strategy will be where the cut and thrust is moving forward there.
So it's not too bad of a position at the moment.
Now that we've covered the three subjects for today, it's time to wrap it up.
Thanks for your time today, Sean, and we'll catch up next month.
(11:26):
You're welcome. Thank you very much, Paul.
See you all soon. same the roar on the australian deer podcast brought to you
by the australian deer association proudly in partnership.
Music.
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