The Greens have expressed disgust at the announcement of an open season for duck hunting in South Australia, despite a pre-election commitment by the Labor Party to review duck hunting if it won the 2022 state election.
During the 2022 state election campaign Labor stated that it had a “strong plan to address animal welfare” with a suite of actions including that “Labor has committed to a review of duck hunting, as we did at the last state election”. However, the Government has now declared that an open season will begin on Saturday 18 March 2023 and end on Sunday 25 June 2023.
Duck shooters use spray pellets which often severely harm or maim birds without killing them. In 2021 Greens MLC Tammy Franks introduced a Bill to ban duck hunting in South Australia in response to consistent calls from animal welfare advocates and strong community support to end the cruel practice.
Quotes attributable to Greens SA Animal Welfare spokesperson Tammy Franks MLC:
“Duck hunting is nothing but recreational cruelty. Why the Malinauskas Government would perpetuate a so-called sport that causes suffering for animals is beyond me. Duck hunting is a relic of our past and it should stay there.”
“Duck shooters use spray pellets which can often harm or maim birds without killing them. The ‘lucky ducks’ are the ones that die quickly — many other birds die a slow, painful death over several hours or even days.”
“It’s an extraordinary act of hypocrisy that the Malinauskas Government has allowed an open season go ahead when Labor is on the record committing to a review into duck hunting in last year’s state election campaign.”