You’d be forgiven for thinking that the very existence of national environmental laws creates an obligation on Environment Ministers to protect the environment. Unfortunately, it’s not that simple. Instead, their obligations are limited by the objects and duties that are specified in the law. And in the case of our...
The challenges facing Victoria’s native wildlife are immense.
Our wildlife are in the gun-sights of rapidly accumulating extinction and climate crises. Our laws are hindering and enabling the problem, not confronting it or overcoming it.
The Victorian Environment Minister announced a review of the Wildlife Act 1975 (Vic) in early 2020. This announcement occurs in the context of egregious incidents of the killing of protected native wildlife and controversy over the effectiveness of the Act.
The Wildlife Act has not previously been reviewed. Establishing a clear critique of the existing Wildlife Act is necessary in order to move to what should replace it, including what wildlife law should be aiming to do and the means by which it undertakes that task.
