Labor's new wild dog committee - media statement
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Labor's new wild dog committee - media statement

The announcement of Labor’s new Wild Dog Management Advisory Committee is a classic case of “say one thing, but do another”.

In announcing the new committee structure, Minister Pulford has said “we're putting farmers and community input at the centre of wild dog management across Victoria" and Labor Upper House member, Harriet Shing, has followed up with the statement that “community input, knowledge and engagement is crucial in tackling wild dog populations”.

If this is the case and landholders are critical, my simple question to the Andrews Government is why has it cut farmer/landholder representation on the new committee in half?

The Wild Dog Advisory Committee Labor sacked earlier this year had six landholders on the board and the replacement group will have only three, so how is cutting farmer representation in half “putting farmer input at the centre of wild dog management”.

It has also clear there will be only one representative from East Gippsland when on the last committee there were three.

This reduction in farmer knowledge, those at the coal face, is according to the terms of reference, being replaced by members with experience in “knowledge of dingo conservation and ecology” and “knowledge of catchment management”.

This is hypocrisy at its best.

 

 

Friday, December 2, 2016