SSAA NSW

Sporting Shooters Association of Australia (NSW) Inc. 3 The NSW Shooter is published by the Sporting Shooters Association of Australia (NSW) Inc Disclaimer: Please note that the views expressed are not necessarily those of SSAA (NSW) Inc. Advertising and Contributions: Newsletter PO Box 1001 ST MARYS NSW 2760 or email nswshooter@nsw.ssaa.org.au Deadline: Attention Branch Secretaries/Publicity Officers, editorial deadline for the December 2015 issue of the NSW Shooter Quarterly Review (print and online only) is Monday 9 November 2015. Cover: Photos from SSAA National Sporting Clays Championships, Mel Frost at the SSAA NSW State Rimfire Benchrest Titles and the 2014 SSAA SHOT Expo held in Sydney. Editor: Jay Pandya Graphic Designer: Craig Rogers Pest Animal Management in NSW Members encouraged to have their say… The Premier has asked the Natural Resources Commission (NRC) to review the management of pest animals in NSW across all land tenures for environmental, economic and social benefits. As part of the review process, the NRC has released an issues paper that identifies the priority issues and opportunities for pest animal arrangements in NSW. NRC is inviting submissions from members of the community and stakeholders – feedback will be used to inform the findings and recommendations of the Review. Recently, SSAA NSW participated in the NRC workshop which was held to inform the development of the issues paper. Further, SSAA NSW has also been invited by the NRC to participate in the recreational hunting focus group later in November. SSAA NSW firmly believes that hunters are an important part of the solution to the problem of pest animal management and highlighted this at the workshop. Hunters are a highly underutilised resource and we have long been advocating the benefits of volunteer hunters in effective pest animal management. As with any problem, a range of solutions are needed to achieve a suitable outcome. SSAA NSW has a number of 'tools in its toolbox' that are being used by its members to assist with managing pest animals across both public and private land: • In National Parks – the NPWS Supplementary Pest Control Program is almost two-thirds through its 3 year trial. SPC is proving itself as a successful component of NPWS's integrated pest management approach and as being the type of model accepted within the wider community for removing pest animals from National Parks. • On Farming Land – Farmer Assist is a SSAA initiative which will shortly be implemented in NSW following its success in other States such as Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania and Western Australia. It enables farmers to request assistance from SSAA members for individual or ongoing pest animal issues. Importantly, the control of who participates, when and where shooting activities occur and what pest animals are targeted remains with the farmer. • In State Forests – the DPI R Licence model has been successfully used to manage pest animals in declared state forests throughout NSW for many years. SSAA NSW is an Approved Hunting Organisation and a Hunter LEAP Provider and has long been an advocate for this model in state forests. SSAA NSW will be lodging a submission and will also continue to pursue opportunities to participate in this Review to ensure the vital role played by recreational hunters in pest animal management is recognised and expanded. The involvement of recreational hunters delivers environmental, economic and social benefits not only to landholders affected by pest animals, but to the wider community in a variety of ways. Our members are strongly encouraged to lodge a submission. There is no standard format for submissions; they can range from a short letter outlining your views on a particular topic to a comprehensive document covering a range of issues. Submissions close at 5pm on 30 November and can be made through the NRC's online form or via email, fax or mail. Visit the NRC website for more information. Diana Melham Executive Director - SSAA (NSW) Inc.

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