The Hon. Beverly McArthur, Member for Western Victoria, 8 December 2023
The Victorian Government has launched a review of the current approaches to dingo management and conservation to quell its radical left-wing backers.
At the same time, it has extended a legislative rule allowing control of dingoes by only one year, as opposed to five years in previous instances, in a move which has unnerved those responsible for controlling the animals, preventing their spread across the State, and protecting farm livestock and domestic pets from attacks.
The Minister for the Environment announced a review “in light of new scientific research regarding the status of what were previously understood to be wild dogs, or dingo-dog hybrids”.
Member for Western Victoria, Bev McArthur, cautioned the Minister against the danger of treating as definitive this politicised “emerging research”, which implicitly accepts disputed findings about the purity of dingo DNA and the dogs’ status as a separate species, and now judgmentally describes long-established science as the “previously understood” position.
“Given the research on Dingo DNA is contentious, relies on a small sample size study, and is conducted by an academic who advises the Australian Dingo Foundation lobby group, I’m sure the Minister will agree it deserves further scrutiny.
“In fact, any review which starts off by accepting these conclusions as fact would be immediately suspect – little more than a fig-leaf to justify preconceived conclusions.”
The new Dingo Unprotection Order expires in only twelve months, to coincide with the conclusion of the review. Mrs McArthur argues it is difficult to believe a thorough population survey, conclusion, policy review and relevant legislation can be produced in this time.
“The population study alone must surely take longer than this, to be ecologically reliable.
“A cynic might suggest the only review which can be undertaken this quickly is one with a predetermined outcome.
“I sincerely hope this isn’t true. Because it really matters. Last year wild dogs or dingoes maimed or killed more than 1200 livestock, and the financial and psychological impact on farmers is real.”
The destruction caused by wild dogs costs the Victorian livestock industry between $13 and $18 million per year.
Recent years have shown a reasonable compromise where attacks on stock have been reduced but observed dingo and wild dog numbers have remained relatively stable.
Mrs McArthur said, “it would be a huge disservice to science, not to mention a horrible betrayal of dedicated livestock farmers, to abandon this evidence-based compromise in the face of absolutist, ideological, politically motivated scientific activism”.
Mrs McArthur requested the Minister ensure the review is extended to a period which allows proper population monitoring, and for it to harness the ‘in-house’ expertise of the Arthur Rylah Institute, instead of relying on interest groups on either of the ‘sides’ of this unfortunately politicised argument.
