The Coalition Against Duck Shooting today slammed the Victorian Brumby Government for selling out Australia’s native waterbirds by calling a recreational duck shooting season for political reasons.

The Coalition Against Duck Shooting’s Campaign Director, Laurie Levy, today said: "The Brumby Government’s decision to allow a duck shooting season in 2010 is totally irresponsible and a betrayal of the 87% of Victorians who want the recreational shooting of native waterbirds banned.

"At a time when Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has been in Copenhagen seeking an agreement on serious climate change issues, Premier Brumby seems oblivious to the potential crisis and has irresponsibly called another duck shooting season when native waterbirds are under extreme stress."

"With wetlands drying and waterbird numbers down by 82% since 1983, Premier Brumby is acting like a climate change sceptic who lacks the vision to understand the serious plight native waterbirds face," said Levy.

"It is difficult to understand how a modern Victorian Labor Government in the 21^st century can still have the same destructive policies towards Australia’s native waterbirds as the Bolte Liberal Government of the 1950s and 60s. Times have changed, with the recreational shooting of native waterbirds banned by three State Labor Premiers in WA, NSW and Queensland," Levy said.

"As the Brumby Government has again made a political decision to look after their duck shooting mates, the Coalition Against Duck Shooting fully supports Ted Baillieu’s call for an independent Crime Commission to be established in Victoria.

"Calling another season simply for political reasons to accommodate a small number of duck shooters is corruption and must be investigated by a Crime Commission. It defies all the scientific evidence that indicates waterbird numbers have seriously declined, and the fact that most Victorians want native waterbirds protected (87% according to a recent Morgan Research Poll).

"Once again the Coalition Against Duck Shooting’s rescue team will return to the wetlands to protect Australia’s native waterbirds from recreational shooters," Levy concluded.

YOUR HELP is urgently required to ensure 2010 recreational shooting of native water birds is cancelled as it was in 2007 and 2008, due to drought and low waterbird numbers.

Please email premiere John Brumby This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Primarily Mr Brumby needs to hear from Victorians saying that this brutal, unsustainable activity must be stopped.

Interstate and overseas supporters could say that Victoria should follow other Labor states which have banned duck-shooting and that because birds fly across state borders the issue is now one of national environmental significance.

Please let us know when you have contacted Premiere Brumby

On behalf of the birds, thank you!

Lynn Trakell

This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Coalition Against Duck Shooting