Following a recent illegal shooting of kangaroos in a Deua National Park camp ground a union survey of NPWS rangers across the state has found that the vast majority of respondents are opposed to hunting in national parks. They say that recreational or conservation hunting is a potential danger to parks staff and visitors and is an ineffective method of feral animal control. The new legislation has been introduced in a highly criticised deal by the O'Farrell government to secure Shooters and Fishers Party support to privatise the state's electricity generators.

Dozens of national parks across the state are cited in the survey as where illegal shootings have been reported.

National parks in the South East are among the most frequently cited, especially Deua, Kosciuszko, and South East Forests National Parks.

Morton National Park in the Illawarra region inland from Nowra is another 'hot spot'.

Hunting in national parks will be managed by Game Council NSW, a NSW government statutory authority established in 2002 to manage hunting in state forests, an arrangement at the time also criticised as being a deal between the then Labor NSW government and the shooters lobby.

Responses to recent ABC stories on the Deua shooting incident and on the new legislation, together with various documents received by the ABC have revealed a highly polarised conflict developing over the opening of national parks to hunters.

Last month ABC South East NSW reported the illegal shooting incident in Deua National Park in which a ranger was called to a camping ground where a family had witnessed and reported the shooting of a number of kangaroos.

The incident occurred not long after the new hunting legislation was announced, and well before the new legislation becomes effective and under the control of Game Council NSW.

However, the incident was quickly picked up by opponents of the new hunting bill as the nightmare example of what may follow more broadly in NSW National Parks.

Supporters of the hunting bill picked it up as proof of the need for a regulated hunting system such as under Game Council NSW, which requires hunters to be trained and accredited and to hunt within strict limitations.

The Deua shooting story also reported that the Public Service Association (PSA) was at the time planning a survey of NPWS rangers on their views about hunting in national parks, and it is the results of this survey that have now been released.

In the interim the ABC received a copy of an email signed by its author as an office bearer of GameCon NSW, understood to be a hunting organisation.

The source who submitted the email copy claims that the email's author is also an official on Game Council NSW.

According to the Game Council NSW web site a person of the same name is a Councillor on Game Council NSW.

The email begins: "I believe that the following news story is a fabrication" and then quotes the ABC's Deua shooting story in full.

The email also asks of its recipient:

"I would like to discuss the range of issues involved in hiring an investigator to determine the actual facts of this reported incidence."

In another document received by the ABC the same person, again signing as an office bearer of GameCon NSW, cites an online article in the Cowra Community News, and encourages the recipients of the email to submit to the online comments tool in the Cowra story:

"Let's give it back to NPWS who love to criticise us by using the link [to the Cowra online article] to send our message."

Meanwhile, ABC South East NSW posted on its Facebook page a link to a related ABC story on a proposed hunting festival in Narooma, and this post attracted the largest number of Facebook responses yet received, largely by supporters of hunting in national parks.

One response questioned the truth of the ABC's Deua shooting story.

The ABC again contacted the Office of Environment and Heritage who provided the following update:

"We can confirm the incident was reported.

"After it was reported to the National Parks and Wildlife Service, the investigating park Ranger sighted two kangaroos that had been shot.

"One animal was euthanased.

"The matter is under investigation by NPWS and NSW Police."

In a separate development yet another source sent the ABC a copy of an email that had been sent by the NPWS ranger who attended the Deua incident to the NSW Minister for the Environment, Robyn Parker:

"Dear Minister

"I am one of your employees - a NPWS Ranger in the Far South Coast Region [deleted - ABC editor].

"Yesterday I received a report from a distressed member of the public who was camped in [ deleted - ABC editor] an iconic 4WD camping area [ Deua National Park - ABC editor], enjoying the school holidays.

"This woman and her family were horrified to witness a group of young people enter the campground and randomly shoot kangaroos from 4WDs.

"She witnessed them loading the shot kangaroos onto a ute and take them away.

"Fortunately she had the courage to take photos and record a registration number.

"We have identified the vehicle owner and have commenced an investigation.

"We are confident of getting a conviction.

"Today I went out to [Deua National Park - ABC editor], to investigate the scene of the alleged crime.

"The first thing I noticed was the sign at the entrance to the campground saying 'firearms prohibited' had been symbolically? run over and smashed.

"Other nearby signs had been left intact. I then found two kangaroos in the campground that had been shot.

"One was maimed but still alive. I had to euthenase it with the back of an axe.

"They had both been scavenged by wedgetailed eagles.

"The one that was still alive had its eyes pecked out and its belly ripped open.

"I found this experience very traumatic.

"I wanted to share this with you to help you understand the ramifications of government policy on firearms in National Parks.

"I'm sure the Game Council initiative will be a professionally run operation, but the fallout is that it appears to give gun-happy yobs the idea that they can now take guns into the Park and run amok.

"Fortunately I didn't have to confront the shooters.

"Who knows next time? Rangers are at the coal-face of this policy and will be dealing with it, as I have today, on a daily basis.

"Please have a thought for them, and for the innocent members of the public who will get caught up in these random shootings.

"Thanks for listening.

"Regards [name deleted - ABC editor]"

The ABC has a number of times requested an interview with the Minister for her views of how the new policy and bill allowing hunting in national parks will consider the safety of park users and staff, and affect the image of national parks among its traditional base of visitors, but those requests have been declined.

The Minister's office has however written to us (18/9/12):

"The Office of Environment and Heritage is working with the Game Council on how and where this program will be introduced in NSW.

"OEH continues to meet with NPWS staff on the roll out of the program.

"Details of exactly how the program will operate are still being considered and the safety of visitors, neighbours, staff and volunteers is paramount in these considerations.

"Ground shooting by staff and contractors already occurs from time to time in many NSW national parks and the same safety standards in place for existing pest programs are being considered for the volunteer programs."

The Public Service Association summary of the results of their statewide survey of 292 NPWS rangers and staff is:



89.6% of those who answered the survey are PSA members.



96.2% do not support hunting in NSW National Parks



Hunting in National Parks will overwhelmingly be 'bad' for park rangers:



Bad for carrying out your job: 71.7%

Bad for your safety: 83%

Bad for the safety of other park users: 95.9%

Bad for pest control: 69%

Bad for native animals: 85.8%

Not one respondent believes hunting will be good for carrying out their jobs or for the safety of other park users.



93.4% of respondents did not believe recreational hunting could help control feral pests in national parks.



63.3% of respondents thought that new Park Rangers should manage and supervise groups of recreational hunters (30.5% believed existing Park Rangers should do the job). Notably, only 5.9% believed the Game Council should be responsible for management and supervision.



53.9% report they have witnessed/observed signs of unauthorised hunting in National Parks



15% have noticed an increase in illegal shooting or hunting in National Parks since the Govt's National Parks hunting bill was introduced.



Many respondents believed that feral management programs based on science and on NPWS operational experience and managed by NPWS staff were far more effective.

Some said it was in the interests of hunters to maintain a stock of target animals rather than erradicate them and so questioned the logic of feral animal control by hunting.

And most had concerns that the public would feel threatened and alienated by hunting activities in national parks.

Game Council NSW on the other hand are committed to the view that through the training and licensing of hunters accredited to hunt in national parks will be an effective technique in feral animal control.

They also say that it is in the interest of accredited hunters to assist in policing illegal hunting.

Hunters will be required to register their hunts and be approved before proceeding on a hunt and to report the results before they can have approval again.

It is understood that the areas within national parks where hunting can take place will be restricted and the number of hunters in an area will be limited.

Of the 3.8% of survey respondents who did support Game Council accredited hunting in national parks one was notable as also being a Game Council licence holder who emphasised the responsibility and ethics of fellow accredited hunters, while acknowledging the possibility of some 'bad eggs'.

The majority, however, presented a broad range of support for science based pest management programs undertaken by NPWS staff.

Most were also concerned about the mix of hunters and park visitors, especially in remote parks, and the general problem of supervision and policing.