Member for Gippsland East, Tim Bull, has called on the Labor Government to cease its brumby culling program, which is set to continue despite job and funding cuts in Parks Victoria.

“The Department of Energy Environment and Climate Action has seen astronomical cuts to the budget, resulting in job losses locally, contract reductions and devastating blows to the pest plants and animal programs, but it is continuing with its very expensive horse shooting program.

“It beggars belief that when we have all these job losses, the government is continuing with a program in East Gippsland that the vast majority of locals do not want.

“Brumbies make up a very small population of the pest species in our state and national parks.

Feral pigs, which do much more damage and are out of control with massively increased numbers need to be the focus.”

Mr Bull said he supported brumby controls, but not eradication which was the government objective.

“We have brumby sight-seeing tours and photographers and artists travelling to our region to capture the animals on canvas or photographs, but we don’t have that interest in pigs, wild dogs, sambar deer, foxes and rabbits.

“The pigs also pose a much more serious threat to our farming community.

“In Parliament I asked Minister Dimopoulos of the intentions with the brumby culling and he doubled down on the program, stating they ‘will continue to be removed from the Alpine National Park through targeted ground-shooting by professionals’.

“I find it disgraceful that at a time the government is looking for department efficiencies and after driving the state debt toward $196 billion dollars, it would rather shoot horses than preserve local jobs.

“Labor needs a lesson on how to spend the taxpayer’s money wisely and frugally.

Monday, 17 November 2025