The Allan Labor Government is setting out the future of dingo conservation and management in Victoria and supporting farmers with an additional $2 million investment into non-lethal dingo controls and population research.
Minister for Environment Steve Dimopoulos and Minister for Agriculture Ros Spence today announced the continuation of the dingo unprotection order in north east and eastern Victoria, which permits the control of dingoes on private land and along the boundaries of public land until 1 January 2028.
Dingoes will continue to be protected in the north west of the state where the dingo population is critically low. Lethal controls will not be permitted on private or public land in the north west. There is little evidence that dingoes are present in large numbers in these parts of the state.
To support farmers to protect their livestock the Labor Government is investing more than $2 million to undertake dingo monitoring and support for north west farmers to adopting non-lethal dingo management strategies.
The new support package will fund trials, research and on-ground advice on non-lethal dingo management strategies that minimise the risk of livestock predation in the north west - building on the work already underway as part of the $550,000 North West Vertebrate Pest Management program announced in March this year.
The Wild Dog Management Program will be expanded to include extra supports for farmers through targeted controls of a wider range of vertebrates including deer, foxes, pigs and wild cats and to reflect this expansion, will be renamed the Vertebrate Species Management Program.
The wild dog component of the Victorian Fox and Wild Dog Bounty program will cease, with the final opportunity to submit wild dog parts at Maffra on 16 October 2024. The bounty for foxes will increase from $10 to $13 per scalp until 30 June 2025.
The remaking of the new dingo unprotection order follows a review of dingo conservation and management with feedback from Traditional Owners, farmers and landholders alongside scientific research.
For more details about the order visit wildlife.vic.gov.au and for farmers support visit agriculture.vic.gov.au.
As stated by Minister for Environment Steve Dimopoulos
"We are striking the right balance between protecting our vulnerable dingo populations while giving farmers the ability to protect their livestock, and we will regularly engage to ensure settings continue to achieve this balance."
"We're supporting Traditional Owners to care for Country - and providing more resources to analyse statewide dingo population trends and effective conservation management measures."
As stated by Minister for Agriculture Ros Spence
"Renewing the unprotection order gives stability and certainty to livestock producers in the north east and eastern Victoria, enabling them to continue to protect their livestock from dingo predation."
"We're supporting our north west farmers with a $2 million package into non-lethal dingo management strategies to protect their livestock and future."
