VICTORIA Valley sheep stud farmers, John and Rhonda Crawford, were still waiting for the Victorian Government to publicly respond to the recommendations made in the Inquiry into Ecosystems Decline in Victoria report, before going into caretaker mode for the election.

They said that farmers and rural businesses were opposed to the reintroduction because of the huge risk of destruction to their livestock and farming enterprises, and to native fauna, as well as the health and safety of residents in the local areas.

The Report was released on December 2, 2021, and a decision was due to be handed down in May this year.

Recommendations 8 and 28 within the report, if accepted by an incoming government, would see the reintroduction of dingoes/hybrid wild dogs into any park/reserve in Victoria, and the cessation of lethal control of pests (trapping, shooting, 1080 baits).

The Southern Grampians Shire Council passed a unanimous motion on February 8, 2022, stating complete opposition and wrote to the Victorian premier, and Agriculture and Environment ministers.

A public meeting was held in Dunkeld on April 11, 2022, with over 170 people in attendance.

The majority of 164 people voted to pass the motion that endorsed John and Rhonda Crawford to write on behalf of those present, to the premier, the Energy, Environment and Climate Action minister, and the Agriculture minister, stating complete opposition to recommendations 8 and 28, and stating they wanted the Victorian Government to reject them outright.

The Victorian Farmers Federation’s (VFF) livestock policy is ‘NO’ to the reintroduction of dingoes into any park in Victoria, and they want lethal control of pests to continue.

The Country Women’s Association (CWA) passed a resolution at their State Conference in May 2022 and also said ‘NO’ to the reintroduction of dingoes into parks in Victoria.

The Crawfords and supporters remain concerned that the Labor Government did not make their position clear, before calling the election and that Western Victoria MP and Agriculture minister, Gayle Tierney, had also not responded to correspondence sent on August 3, 2022, after meeting with her at Sheepvention in early August.

The Crawfords did, however, receive a reply from Energy, Environment and Climate Action minister, Lily D’Ambrosio, through the Department of Environment, Land, Water & Planning, which stated, “the Victorian Government is committed to the conservation of the dingo. In Victoria the dingo is listed as a threatened species under the Flora & Fauna Guarantee Act 1988 and is considered protected wildlife under the Wildlife Act 1975. The dingo has an important role as an apex predator in the natural environment. It is both culturally important to Aboriginal people and valued as an iconic Australian species.”

“Feral and wild populations of dogs, and dingo-dog hybrids are declared pest animals under the Catchment and Land Protection Act 1994 and the Victorian Government funds wild dog control programs, including targeted aerial baiting in spring and autumn, and the wild dog bounty. Our Government will continue to discuss these matters with traditional owners, farmers and local communities. There are no current plans to reintroduce dingoes in Victoria.”

However, the Crawfords stated that the biggest concern was that the Labor Government would not rule it out in the future.

The Liberal/National Coalition released a Minority Report to the Inquiry’s recommendation and publicly stated it was opposed to the recommendations and that they would not reintroduce dingoes in the future.

“People need to be sure of the position of the candidates they vote for in both houses of the Victorian State Election,” the Crawfords said.

“The Independent and minor parties are yet to make their positions clear on this issue publicly.

“Once the election is over, the newly elected incoming government will have to respond to these recommendations made in the Inquiry into Ecosystems Decline in Victoria report.

“We have kept our “No Dingoes” petition going and have gathered over 6000 signatures on paper and online in the past year.

“The Petition can be signed locally at Cavendish, Dunkeld, Glenthompson, Penshurst and Hamilton and online at change.org.

“The huge majority of tourists visiting parks who have signed the petition, are opposed to this for health and safety reasons.

The Crawfords stated they were continuing to watch the issue closely, as it affected farming, rural tourism, regional communities, and their future - both in Victoria and interstate (South Australia and New South Wales).