Revealed: Areas that will be open for hunting in NSW under divisive laws

1 week ago 3

Hunting would be allowed on more than 20 parcels of land across NSW, including Bathurst and Eurobodalla, under controversial legislation proposed by the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party, as Premier Chris Minns ruled out enshrining the “right to hunt” in law.

Minns’ move to water down a key pillar of the Game and Feral Animal Legislation Amendment (Conservation Hunting) Bill 2025 came as political sentiment shifted against the legislation.

A feral pig and NSW Premier Chris Minns.

In documents seen by the Herald, the areas to be made available for hunting will span 50,000 hectares across 23 parcels of land. Five of the lots are in the Muswellbrook Shire Council, including two that border Manobalai Nature Reserve. Four fall within Mid-Western Regional Council, and three within Bathurst Regional Council and Snowy Monaro Regional Council, respectively.

There are currently a million hectares of state forests declared open for licensed hunting in NSW.

The hunting bill was introduced into parliament by the Shooters’ leader Robert Borsak in May.

Framed as a means of countering the state’s feral animal problem, the legislation would have enshrined a right to hunt, legalised hunters’ access to gun silencers, and established a $7.9 million state hunting authority.

Initially supported by the Labor government, the bill has faced fierce blowback from gun control groups, The Greens and the Animal Justice Party, which branded it a “Trojan horse” for the “gun lobby’s wishlist”.

On Friday, Liberal MPs accused the government of undermining community safety as part of “US-style political horse-trading” with the Shooters.

After initially indicating “broad support” for the laws, the Coalition shadow cabinet met on Monday evening to reconsider its position.

Borsak has decried the opposition as “anti-hunting lies and propaganda”. He has categorically rejected suggestions he cut a deal with the government and dismissed claims the legislation would increase the supply of guns in NSW.

The inclusion of the area around Lake Poonboon, near Swan Hill on the Victorian border, baffled one landowner. The area was farmed by families when the lake was dry, he said, while the nearby Lake Poomah was used for recreational water sports such as paddleboarding and water-skiing when filled with water.

Dallas Pearce, whose land borders the northern part of Lake Poonboon, said with people already hunting on his land with his permission for rabbits, foxes and wild pigs, he expected the impact of the area’s inclusion would be minimal, particularly when the lake bed was inaccessible.

“When the lake’s full what are they going to do? If they can’t shoot ducks, are they going to snorkel for kangaroos?” he said.

Much of the land included bordered national parks, including near the South Coast town of Moruya, which borders Deua National Park, and next to the Brindabella National Park on the ACT border.

As part of a parliamentary inquiry into the legislation in early August, Department of Primary Industries deputy secretary Tara Black said the bill provided a pathway for additional Crown land but with “several checks and balances”, including written permission from the minister.

The list of sites has so far been kept under wraps by the government. The legislation was supposed to return to parliament this week but has been delayed until next week, waiting on the inquiry’s report.

During debate over the bill in June, Agriculture Minister Tara Moriarty said the government was supportive except for changes relating to silencers and suppressors. But facing pressure from gun control groups, Minns indicated another key aspect of the legislation would be watered down.

“You’re allowed to hunt in NSW, but whether you have a right to hunt, akin to a right to freedom of speech or a right to vote, I think they’re vastly different things,” Minns said. “I’m also concerned that it might evoke this idea that there’s a right to bear arms, like we’ve seen in the United States.

“Now, we can never go down that road. There can’t be a right to bear arms in a country like Australia. We’ve seen that in other jurisdictions in other places around the world be a complete disaster. I don’t want that here in Australia.”

Premier Chris Minns has been accused of cutting a deal with Shooters, Fishers and Farmers leader Robert Borsak.

Despite initially indicating broad support for the legislation when it was introduced to parliament, the Coalition has since reconsidered its position in light of evidence from the inquiry. Shadow cabinet met on Monday afternoon and senior sources said there was debate over whether to amend the bill or oppose it entirely.

Crown Lands did not respond to requests for comment by deadline.