Outdoor Recreation Bill puts hunters before environment

Rachel voted against the government’s Outdoor Recreation Victoria Bill 2026 and supported a motion to refer the legislation to a bill review.

In her speech, Rachel made several arguments against the bill. At its core, this bill preserves recreational hunting at the expense of environmental and wildlife protection and biodiversity.

One function of the bill is merging the Victorian Fisheries Authority (VFA) with the Game Management Authority (GMA). Rachel noted the GMA’s poor track record for maintaining compliance after 200 protected bird species were killed in the thousands during one hunting season. Birds who are shot down but cannot be retrieved are left to die after being injured and maimed.

In 2017, the Labor government commissioned an independent review which warned that GMA’s promotion of hunting activities creates bias and undermines enforcement, which Rachel stated would be made worse under this new legislation.

The bill also disregards the findings of the 2023 inquiry into recreational native bird hunting, which recommended the cessation of native bird hunting by 2024.

After a long debate, several amendments were proposed to the bill, which is due to be reviewed by the Legislative Assembly (lower house) once Members return to Parliament from the winter break.

Thursday the 18th of June 2026,
Victorian Legislative Council

Rachel spoke to the problems with the Outdoor Recreation Bill and explained why she supports a bill review.

Rachel Payne (South-Eastern Metropolitan):

I rise to speak on the Outdoor Recreation Victoria Bill 2026 on behalf of Legalise Cannabis Victoria. Victoria offers an incredible variety of natural environments to explore, from pristine beaches to lush rainforests. We are so fortunate to have countless opportunities to experience the state’s wildlife. These lands have been cared for by First Peoples for tens of thousands of years.

Despite its name, the Outdoor Recreation Victoria Bill has little to do with recreation. Caring for Victoria’s natural environment means more than simply enjoying it. In fact if we do not care for it, we will not be able to enjoy it for much longer. True stewardship of the environment means taking responsibility for its protection, respecting the deep knowledge of First Peoples and ensuring that our forests, rivers, coastlines and native species are preserved for future generations. Just as traditional owners have cared for country for thousands of years, we too have a responsibility to act as custodians for the land, not simply use it. There is nothing in this bill that reflects this profound responsibility. It is primarily a government restructuring exercise dressed up as an outdoor recreation policy.

This bill is not about improving outdoor recreation. It is being driven by other priorities. It merges existing agencies by combining the former wildlife and fisheries regulators into a new body. This does nothing to create new programs, facilities or opportunities for outdoor recreation. It is merely a restructure. The merger of both the Game Management Authority (GMA) and the Victorian Fisheries Authority (VFA) stems from the Silver review and broader government restructure objectives. It is fundamentally a public sector overhaul. Victorians were promised outdoor recreation reform, but what they have been given is some new stationery.

In 2017 the Labor government commissioned Pegasus Economics to conduct an independent review into the GMA after 2000 shooters massacred and wounded thousands of birds, including over 200 protected species. Let me repeat that: 200 protected species. This happened right in front of compliance officers on day one of the season. The report found that GMA was failing its responsibilities. It was neither compliant nor, importantly, independent. Almost 10 years on, this bill does nothing to address the noncompliance of GMA. The Pegasus report explicitly warns that GMA’s promotional work undermines enforcement and creates perceived bias, and this bill just makes it worse. The objective of promoting outdoor recreation in this bill clearly contradicts the Pegasus report, which explicitly warns about the problems with the GMA’s promotional work and its perceived bias. It also argues the GMA was already too comfortable with hunting organisations. The Pegasus report also identifies the Victorian Fisheries Authority Act 2016 and the VFA as having much better protections against conflicts of interests, consultation requirements and restrictions on board members. While Outdoor Recreation Victoria has brought these over, they still specifically only related to fishing. Instead it provides extraordinary powers to these officers, and we are all aware now that they are actively targeting rescuers. Let us be clear: the very people tasked with looking after protected species are instead targeting the people there to rescue these animals. It beggars belief. Breaches of hunting laws are widespread in Victoria, and we are witnessing plummeting waterbird populations. It is also no coincidence that the Premier’s protection of firearms to protect the so-called rights of shooters comes at the same time as this bill. While protected species are dying, the Premier is giving hunters and shooters more guns – and to what end?

This bill raises a fundamental question: if the government genuinely values our wildlife, including but not limited to enjoyment of outdoor recreation, why is its headline reform a bureaucratic merger rather than a plan to improve biodiversity, protect habitats, expand recreational access and support regional communities? If this bill is any indication, the government is not interested in safeguarding our unique nature in Victoria. This bill creates a powerful new panel – and I will get to that in a moment – while completely ignoring the fundamentals: protecting wildlife, safeguarding the environment, conserving biodiversity, applying the precautionary principle and assessing risks to the health and safety of Victorians who visit public land.

Now on to the panel: if any sensible person were going to set up a panel to protect the environment, it would be independent and contain environmental, animal and recreation experts. In contrast, this panel will be handpicked by the minister, with no requirement for environmental expertise. It will have no obligation to make its advice public and no responsibility to consider the impacts on nature. It will operate free from the scrutiny of an independent Victorian Environmental Assessment Council, an expert body the government recently abolished under the guise of saving money. The executive director of Victorian National Parks Association has said he believes that the establishment of a body designed to lobby for access to public land through the Land Access Panel for shooting interests as part of Outdoor Recreation Victoria, paid for by Victorian taxpayers, will have no ecological or cultural guardrails in its objectives, which will be disastrous and dangerous for Victoria.

VEAC is one of Victoria’s most respected environmental institutions. After 50 years of helping to establish national parks and protected areas, VEAC’s independent expert council has been abolished. This is disastrous, and no-one knows why. There has not been transparent decision-making, and power is being concentrated behind closed doors. Independent oversight for this panel is imperative. Changes to public land access must be open, independent and informed by experts. When protections for biodiversity and the environment are obviously missing, it is fair to ask whose interests this bill and the panel are actually being designed to serve.

While this is an alarming environmental issue, it is also a recreational and tourism issue. Fair, safe and equitable access to Victoria’s national parks, conservation reserves and other public lands makes Victoria a drawcard for tourists internationally, from interstate and locally. The safe and easy access to iconic landscapes close to Melbourne is a drawcard for people to get the best of Australia all in one state. The lush rainforests of the Great Otway National Park and the majestic forests of the Dandenong Ranges and Yarra Ranges national parks in eastern Victoria, not far from my region, are loved by many people who come here to see them, enjoy them and bask in them. Again, these landmarks and areas are not just tourist attractions; they are irreplaceable natural assets that define our state’s identity. By any measure they deserve the strongest possible protection.

National parks safeguard some of Victoria’s most important ecosystems, providing habitat for natural wildlife and protecting threatened species from extinction. The Otways, Dandenong Ranges and Yarra Ranges contain unique plants and animals that simply cannot survive without healthy and protected environments. This is indisputable. Millions of Victorians rely on access to nature for their health, wellbeing and quality of life. Our First Peoples will tell you something that we all know intuitively but perhaps have become disconnected from: without environmental health, we do not have human health. They are intrinsically linked. Now more than ever we should be strengthening efforts to safeguard these parks and public lands and not weakening environmental protections. It simply does not make sense.

By caring for the landscapes and wildlife around us, we ensure that future generations inherit the same rich natural and cultural heritage that has been safeguarded for millennia. On behalf of Legalise Cannabis Victoria, we reject this bill. It has the wrong priorities. It will actively weaken protections for nature and wildlife, and it will do so without proper scrutiny, expertise or care.