A regional New South Wales MP has called for recreational shooters to be granted access to the state’s national parks in a bid to control escalating populations of feral animals such as pigs and foxes.
Helen Dalton, an independent MP formerly affiliated with the Shooters and Fishers Party, said farmers are increasingly overwhelmed by invasive species that breed in protected areas before encroaching onto private farmland, causing significant damage and attacking livestock.
“We’re losing the battle… we need all hands on deck,” Dalton told Yahoo News, while advocating for temporary access to national parks for hunters. She proposed that the parks be closed to the public over weekends to ensure public safety during these operations.
Dalton’s proposal follows a controversial bounty scheme floated earlier this week by NSW Premier Chris Minns. The Premier suggested introducing financial rewards for hunters who cull feral animals, sparking a divided response among stakeholders.
While Dalton acknowledged that the financial incentive from bounties would likely be minimal, she argued that it could help cover basic costs like ammunition and fuel. She emphasized that shooting would serve as a complementary measure alongside trapping and poisoning—existing methods used in pest control.
A similar trial was launched in 2014 under the former Coalition government but was met with strong resistance from conservation groups and ultimately abandoned.
The NSW government has responded to the broader feral animal issue by stating it is “open to considering all options,” including the bounty proposal. However, it confirmed that no changes to current restrictions on recreational shooting in national parks are under consideration.
“We need to do more and we need all hands on deck for this problem. No one is saying that bounties are the sole solution here. They aren’t a silver bullet. But what they are is another tool in the toolbox,” a spokesperson said.
However, the government’s openness to the bounty concept has been sharply criticized by environmental experts. Jack Gough, CEO of the Invasive Species Council, dismissed the bounty idea as ineffective, branding it “Alice in Wonderland stuff.”
“There’s not a single example that shows bounties actually reduce populations on a landscape scale,” Gough said, urging the government to act on recommendations made by the state’s Natural Resources Commission. A recent report from the commission warned that the economic impact of invasive species, currently estimated at $1.9 billion annually, could rise to $29.7 billion within five years if left unaddressed.
Gough accused the Labor government of pursuing political gain over sound policy, suggesting the bounty plan is a move to secure support from minor parties in the Upper House.
“The decision to consider bounties runs counter to expert advice,” he said. “This is on the agenda purely because the Labor Party wants to do a dirty deal.”
Victoria has maintained a bounty program since 2011, collecting more than 1.1 million fox scalps. However, when a similar plan was proposed by the NSW Nationals in 2023, it was rejected by Agriculture Minister Tara Moriarty, who noted that bounty systems have “consistently failed” since the 1800s. The Minns government’s reversal on the issue has yet to be fully explained.
The Premier’s office declined to comment on accusations that political motivations were driving the proposal.
