[Greens-Media] Community pressure forces O'Farrell back down on children hunting

[David Shoebridge]

Community pressure forces O'Farrell back down on children hunting
Media Release - 4 September 2012
 
Sustained pressure from the Greens, Animal Welfare groups and the community has forced the O'Farrell government to back down on allowing children to hunt unsupervised on public land.
 
The Game and Feral Animal Control Regulation 2012, released last Friday, did not contain proposed provisions which would have seen children as young as twelve able to hunt unsupervised on public land with bows and arrows, packs of dogs, and bowie knives.
 
Greens NSW MP David Shoebridge said:
 
"This decision is a victory for common sense and grassroots activism in NSW," Mr Shoebridge said. 
 
"Working together, the Greens, animal welfare groups and members of the community were able to shine a light on this shadowy proposal and force the government to abandon it.
 
"The proposal was a result of the unholy alliance Barry O'Farrell has struck in the NSW Upper House with the Shooters Party and Fred Nile's Christian Democratic Party.
 
"With over 300 individual submissions, hundreds of petitions and continued pressure on government MPs, this proposal was stopped in its tracks.
 
"When Liberal and National backbenchers were contacted about the proposal, most of them didn't know a thing about it.
 
"Unfortunately, governments don't always make decisions based on what is in the best interests of the community or even in consultation with their own MPs.
 
"This proposal was stopped by people taking collective action. At the end of the day, governments are only accountable to us if we make our voices heard.
 
"The Greens welcome the government's decision to not allow children to hunt unsupervised on public land in NSW. However it was a proposal that should never seen the light of day," Mr Shoebridge said.
 
Media contact: Mark Riboldi 9230 3030 | 0433 753 376
 
Read more here: http://davidshoebridge.org.au/2012/09/04/thank-you-you-stopped-the-game-council-and-shooters-party/ 
and here: http://davidshoebridge.org.au/2012/05/09/12-year-olds-allowed-to-hunt-unsupervised-under-government-plan/ 
 
 

 
David Shoebridge
Greens MP in the NSW Legislative Council
P: (02) 9230 3030 |Media: 0433 753 376 |T: @ShoebridgeMLC ( http://twitter.com/#!/shoebridgemlc )
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