Invasive species

Invasive species like feral deer and feral horses are trashing and trampling Victoria's landscapes from Wilsons Prom to Mount Bogong.

We need strong action and more resources to stop invasive species from destroying habitats and wildlife in Victoria.

Invasive species like feral deer and feral horses are trashing and trampling Victoria's landscapes from Wilsons Prom to Mount Bogong.

We need strong action and more resources to stop invasive species from destroying habitats and wildlife in Victoria.

Ministers: Stop protecting feral deer

Ask your leaders to fix the way deer are dealt with.

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Dear Minister for the Environment Steve Dimopoulos and Minister for Agriculture Ros Spence,

Re: Stop protecting feral deer

I’m very concerned about the uncontained spread of feral deer across our state.

I endorse calls for feral deer to be listed as a pest species in Victoria and that government ramp up funding for control of deer on public land, especially post fire.

Listing deer as a pest will:

• Send a clear message that removing feral deer from public and private land is a state priority.

• Remove legislative ambiguity about the protection and status of deer for land holders and managers.

• Add pest control tools such as trapping and baiting to deer management tools (similar to current support for rabbits and weeds like serrated tussock).

• Remove barriers for public and private land holders so they can manage deer as a pest instead of as a protected species.

Feral Sambar Deer have been listed as a threatening process under the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act since 2007. Despite this they remain protected, while land holders and land managers struggle to control their numbers because their protection as a ‘game species’ creates bureaucratic hoops, ambiguity, confusion and mixed messages. Feral deer meet the necessary criteria and thresholds to be classified as a pest species.

Private landowners are unsure how to manage deer, and public land managers face complicated rules to control deer numbers. This is because deer are still treated as a game species for hunters, rather than focusing on reducing their population to protect nature, community and farmland. In fact, the law requires them to do just that, as seen in legislation like the National Parks Act.

I call on you to list feral deer as a pest species under the Catchment and Land Protection Act 1994. This necessary change would mean they can be controlled, like feral pigs, foxes and rabbits and other invasive species.

The Victorian Government invests in the control of feral deer to protect wildlife and habitats. I support this commitment and encourage further increases in long-term investment. By continuing to protect feral deer to satisfy a small group, efforts to reduce the harmful impact of this invasive species are completely undermined. We will never run out of deer for recreational hunting, but we do have the opportunity to stop the spread, eliminate them in key places and significantly reduce impact on our unique and fragile habitats and wildlife.

The Victorian Government’s deer control plan for Western Victoria specifies long-term elimination of feral deer. The recent bushfires in the Grampians (Gariwerd) and Little Desert national parks and Mount Buangor State Park provide the perfect opportunity to bring forward that plan. While the vegetation is sparse and recovering, deer can be controlled more effectively. It’s far cheaper to invest in eradication over the short term and it will protect wildlife and habitats recovering from fire.

In 2020, your government began the process of reviewing the Wildlife Act 1975. The report from community consultations was given to the minister in 2021 but there has still not been a formal response. That’s four years of feral deer reproducing and spreading further across our landscapes.

Deer are exotic pests doing incredible harm right across Victoria. The impact of feral deer on community safety, our natural ecosystems and wildlife – as well as agricultural production and water catchments – must be taken seriously.

I ask you to listen to the voices of those impacted by feral deer who are struggling to deal with the damage they do to nature, wildlife habitat, agricultural production and human safety.

Please list deer as a pest species and commit to eradication programs in bushfire affected parks in the central west.

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