O'Farrell Government declares open season on the National Parks & Wildlife Service

ABC South East NSW 15 August 2012:

During the recent school holidays a horrified family were confronted by a group of hunters driving into a camping ground in a south east National Park randomly shooting kangaroos. In front of the distressed family camped in the remote but popular National Park they shot a number of kangaroos and loaded some onto a vehicle before driving off, leaving dead and maimed animals behind.

One of the campers photographed one of the vehicles and contacted the NPWS office.

The investigating NPWS Ranger was required to euthanase one of the maimed animals left behind by the shooters.

The incident is being investigated.

The shooting occurred as the NSW Parliament was introducing a controversial Bill allowing hunting in National Parks.

Since the media coverage that has followed the new Bill there have been a number of illegal shooting incidents in National Parks, leading to speculation that hunters are under the impression that it is now 'open season' in National Parks…..

This dangerous scenario is being played out at a time when the National Parks & Wildlife Service is under sustained pressure from the O'Farrell-Stoner-Baird razor gang and NSW Environment Minister Robyn Parker is overseeing a reduction in the number of NPWS regions across the state, with an eventual loss (though voluntary redundancy, retirement or leaving for other employment) of an estimated 350 NPWS jobs.

There is some hope that the NSW North Coast (and in particular the Clarence Valley) may experience mid-level management and frontline job losses much later than some other regions - given that a large number of sizable parkland assets coincide with significant population clusters and bushfire response co-ordination is often an important aspect of this proximity.

Much will depend on whether the NSW O'Farrell Coalition Government can resist the urge to make more state budget cuts over the next two years.

However, it is hard to see how  a service already operating at relatively low staffing levels can possibly monitor the activities of what are increasingly out-of-control amateur hunters and hoons with guns.

Update

As usual the very idle NSW Nationals MP for Clarence, Chris Gulaptis, appeared unaware that there was an issue or that his vote in the NSW Parliament helped create these problems, when he told The Daily Examiner:

Member for Clarence Chris Gulaptis said while he had not been made aware of any changes, other than what he had heard from the community over the past few days, he would be making further enquiries.

"I'm due to meet with officers of the National Parks and Wildlife Services shortly," he said.

Mr Gulaptis said it appeared to be an operational matter for the NPWS but he was yet to confirm the details.

Quite frankly, this MP's attempt to brush aside yet more public service job losses in his electorate, as well as the possible diversion away from the Clarence Valley of part or all of the estimated the $200,000 per annum Woody Head revenue stream and the impact this may have on a number of local conservation and research projects, indicates the contempt in which he holds the very people who voted him into office.