Eliza Harvey reported this story on Wednesday, September 11, 2013 18:45:00

MARK COLVIN: The New South Wales Government has introduced bills to allow recreational shooting in national parks, beginning next month. The move was the product of a deal last year between the Government and the minority Shooters Party to privatise the state's power stations.



It's been heavily watered-down over the past year because of safety fears, but The Greens remain concerned that it promotes a gun culture in New South Wales.



Eliza Harvey reports.



ELIZA HARVEY: After years of opposition and fierce debate, the New South Wales Government sold its power stations last year, with the help of the minority Shooters and Fishers Party.



But the political victory came at a cost. The Government was forced to cave into the controversial demand from the Shooters MPs to allow recreational hunters into national parks.



More than a year later the Government has finally introduced the bill into Parliament. But in a sign that it's become a major political headache, the minister in charge, Katrina Hodgkinson, wasn't available to discuss the details.



The Greens MP, David Shoebridge, happily filled the void.



DAVID SHOEBRIDGE: The Government has not changed the legislative arrangements which allow them to have amateur hunting in 75 national parks and nature reserves, and that's one of the real concerns.



ELIZA HARVEY: The plan to allow hunting brought heavy scrutiny on the body tasked with governing the practice, the Game Council. A review found that it had a deeply political agenda and the Premier Barry O'Farrell was forced to act.



BARRY O'FARRELL: The bottom line is there will be significant changes to the Game Council - indeed it will be abolished. That posed an unacceptable risk to Government, and by "Government" they meant the community and the public.



ELIZA HARVEY: Here's David Shoebridge again.



DAVID SHOEBRIDGE: Some of its key officials were being criminally prosecuted for alleged unlawful hunting, and the Government has been back-peddling ever since that.



At this stage, the only protection that other park users have is a bare promise from the Premier that hunting will be supervised. Well, I think people want more than a bare promise from this Premier: they want to see that a statutory protection.



ELIZA HARVEY: The Greens also fear that policy will promote gun use.



DAVID SHOEBRIDGE: The Government is legislating to put another hunter-dominated body - this Hunter Advisory Board - on the statute books. They've directed that Hunter Advisory Board to tell the government how it can go about promoting hunting.



ELIZA HARVEY: Leanne Taylor from the animal welfare group WIRES (Wildlife Information Rescue and Education Service) is disappointed that she couldn't persuade the Government to dump the bill.



LEANNE TAYLOR: One of the questions that we've raised is that, you know, amateur hunters have a vested interest in maintaining populations of animals so that they're there to hunt for recreational purposes, so I'm not sure that really good solid decisions have been made at any stage in this process.



ELIZA HARVEY: The Government is expected to have the numbers to pass the legislation and will begin the trial in 12 national parks next month.



MARK COLVIN: Eliza Harvey.