RSPCA Victoria has welcomed the release of the independent expert advisory panel’s report regarding the review of the Wildlife Act 1975 and the Victorian Government’s response.
RSPCA Victoria believes that all Victorian wildlife, from little penguins, wombats, and tawny frogmouths to blue-tongue lizards, deserve strong laws to protect their welfare and ensure they can thrive into the future.
RSPCA Victoria’s Head of Prevention Rebecca Cook said securing the release of the report and response has been a key advocacy focus for RSPCA Victoria, as the Act is now 50 years old.
“It’s imperative legislation aiming to protect our native wildlife in Victoria is fit for purpose and contemporary,” Ms Cook said.
“We are pleased to see the changes endorsed by government will provide the Conservation Regulator with better enforcement and compliance tools to safeguard our native wildlife.
“In particular, we are pleased to see increases to maximum penalties and the introduction of new offences to the Act to deter offenders and ensure those who do offend receive appropriate penalties.
“We’re also happy to see the extension of the statute of limitations for investigating wildlife crime and the filing of charges for offences against the Act.
“However, we are extremely disappointed to see the government continues to support recreational native bird shooting – something both the expert advisory panel and a Parliamentary Inquiry recommended be banned.”
RSPCA Victoria believes all native birds should be protected under this Act and should not be allowed to be hunted with shotguns, as it results in high rates of wounding and suffering.
RSPCA Victoria made 16 recommendations in its 2021 submission to the expert advisory panel including;
- tighter regulation of unprotection orders,
- removal of non-native species from the Act,
- better oversight of Authority to Control Wildlife Permits, and
- development of sentencing guidelines to ensure consistency
RSPCA Victoria welcomes the opportunity to contribute to the development of mandatory codes of practice proposed to be developed under the Act and will continue to review the content in these reports and provide a more fulsome response in due course.
