Earlier this month, the Allan Government quietly announced it will open 130,000 hectares of the Errinundra and Snowy River National Parks in East Gippsland to recreational deer hunting — two of the most unique, remote, and beloved parts of Victoria’s protected estate.

For the communities and groups who live and breathe near these parks, this news came not through consultation or local meetings, but through a media release.

While the Minister for Outdoor Recreation and Environment claims this is a “win for regional communities,” not a single East Gippsland-based community group that we know of, tourism association, Traditional Owner representatives, or conservation organisation appears to have been consulted before this dramatic change. It’s a decision that undermines years of community planning and advocacy, and ignores the growing nature-based tourism economy that so many here are working hard to grow.

“The Friends of Errinundra absolutely oppose any proposal to allow hunting with guns in the Errinundra National Park. The park exists to protect native ecosystems and provide a safe and inspiring nature experience for all visitors. Hunting with guns is incompatible with these aims and poses unacceptable risks to wildlife and families in this wild and remote area.” Prue Thwaites, Friends of Errinundra Secretary.

A Direct contradiction of community aspirations

The decision is in direct conflict with the Errinundra to Snowy District Community Plan (2019), developed by residents in Bonang, Goongerah, Bendoc and surrounding areas. That plan clearly identifies nature-based tourism, including hiking, birdwatching, and camping, as a priority for future development in the region.

Hunting has never been raised as a regional aspiration. In fact, the presence of firearms in national parks is likely to reduce visitation and deter the very tourists regional towns depend on.

There has been no evidence provided to show that this decision will deliver any net economic benefit to the region, particularly when it risks undermining established and growing nature-based tourism sectors.

The Errinundra to Snowy Tourism Opportunity Report and the Buchan District Opportunities Report, funded by the East Gippsland Shire Council, similarly outlines eco-tourism as a future driver of economic diversification. Allowing guns in national parks threatens not only the safety and experience of visitors but the reputation of East Gippsland as a destination for peaceful, immersive nature experiences.

It’s a kick in the guts for locals who’ve been shut out of the conversation, and for communities that’ve spent over two years as part of the State’s own Forestry Transition Program building up nature-based tourism.

It also throws East Gippsland Shire Council’s brand-new eco-tourism accreditation under the bus. What’s 45,000 shooters compared to the 50 million people who visit national parks each year expecting a safe, gun-free nature experience?

Deer control? Or a political gesture?

The Government claims this move will help manage exploding deer populations. But their own 2021 Statewide Deer Control Strategy makes it clear that recreational hunting alone is not an effective method to control deer numbers.

This isn’t a pest control program. It’s a political gesture to a small but loud shooting lobby that has long resisted more effective, coordinated, professional approaches to deer control — including aerial culling and integrated management in high-value conservation areas.

As Jack Gough, CEO of the Invasive Species Council, said in a recent press release:

“Opening up national parks to recreational hunting is not going to make a difference to numbers on the ground.”

If the government were serious about protecting biodiversity and supporting rural economies, it would:

• Remove the protected status of deer as game animals
• Fund robust professional deer control programs
• Invest in regional tourism infrastructure and jobs like the Sea to Summit
• Increase Parks Victoria ranger presence and park management budgets

Instead, we get a captain’s call, one that appears designed to shore up support from select unions and hunting groups, while leaving communities and ecosystems behind.

The Conference included a suite of gun companies and shooter lobby groups selling their products.

Locals Left in the Dark

There’s been no clarity on how this decision will be managed, enforced or communicated to visitors. No details about increased ranger presence, new signage, or how safety will be assured for hikers, school groups, families or conservation workers using these parks.

In a state with 1.8 million hectares of state forest already available to hunters, why target the one part of the public estate that people visit precisely because it offers peace, safety, and intact nature?

The message to locals is clear: your community plans, your tourism efforts, and your voice do not matter. The decision has already been made, and we’re left to live with the consequences.

We deserve better.