The Victorian government has given farmers the green light to continue killing dingoes and wild dogs on their properties in the state’s east.
The government announced on Tuesday the dingo “unprotection” order in north east and eastern Victoria would remain in place, permitting lethal control of dingoes on private land and along the edge of public land until January 1, 2028.
However, dingoes will continue to be protected in the north-west of the state where the government said the dingo population was “critically low”.
Mitta Valley farmer Judy Cardwell runs cattle and sheep on her 121-hectare property and welcomed the decision.
“[Wild dogs] have devastating impacts — not only to the livestock but to the owners,” the Northeast Wild Dog Action Group spokesperson said.
“The mental anguish of seeing your sheep torn to bits … it’s really such a relief that there will be some continuation of the program.”
Farmer Judy Cardwell says wild dogs have “devastating impacts”. (Supplied: Sporting Shooters Association of Australia)
‘Poor’ consultation
The Victorian National Parks Association (VNPA) said it was “deeply disappointed” by the government’s decision to continue lethal control of dingoes until 2028.
“It was a very poor consultation process to start with, a lot of us who tried to get consulted with, including traditional owner groups, feel gaslit by the government’s decision,” VNPA parks and nature campaigner Jordan Crook told ABC Radio Victoria.
“Predation is an issue … but there should be a way for farmers to be compensated by the state for animals that are proven to be killed by dingoes.
“There are other animals that predate sheep, so we need to manage all the feral species and one way of doing that is to let the dingo look after country.
“Dingoes were here first — we need to start to live with them like other countries that live with [their native predators].”
Taungurung Land and Waters Council traditional custodian Matthew Shanks echoed these concerns.
“Taungurung people and Yirrangan [dingo] share the same historical story, driven from country, managed and at times murdered according to colonial views,” he said.
“Yirrangan are vital to the health and future of Taungurung Country.
“The unprotection order disregards Taungurung lore and our obligations as Taungurung people to care for country for the benefit of all people.”
Farmers in north-east Victoria say they often have sheep attacked by dingoes and wild dogs. (Supplied: Chontelle Burns)
Striking a balance
Mr Crook said the VNPA “condemned” the killing of wild dogs within 3 kilometres of protected areas via baiting, trapping and shooting, and said governments needed to invest more in researching non-lethal control.
“It’s pretty outrageous — that includes national parks, closed water catchments … it’s far from a balance,” he said.
“The decision [to protect dingoes] in the western desert population was fantastic but there needs to be an ongoing conversation about how we keep dingoes in the landscape as a culturally and ecologically significant species.
“The government needs to work with farmers, traditional owners and scientists to find that way forward.”
Ms Cardwell said the state government also needed to further investigate pure dingo population numbers.
“I hope this four-year extension will give the government time to … actually consult with everyone, because they left it to the last minute and it was really poorly done,” she said.
“Where lethal control is carried out is such a small part of Victoria and there are so many areas for wild dogs to roam and breed — they’re certainly not going to be made extinct, that’s for sure.”
The Victorian government this week announced dingoes can still be killed in the east of the state. (Supplied: Agriculture Victoria)
Funding non-lethal control
The government also announced a $2 million investment to undertake dingo monitoring, research and “on-ground advice” for north-west farmers to adopting non-lethal dingo management strategies.
“I was relieved to see that those poor farmers in the north-west are going to get more funding, and hopefully a lot more help because they were left high and dry with no ability to protect their livestock on their own properties,” Ms Cardwell said.
However, she said farmers efforts to control dingoes with non-lethal methods had been expensive and ineffective in her region.
“They’ve spent thousands of dollars putting exclusion fencing up, trying Maremma dogs, alpacas, I think some have tried donkeys, and none have been found to be really successful,” she said.
A lamb suspected to have been killed by a dingo on a western farm in Victoria in 2024. (Supplied: Alan Bennett)
‘Emotional’ and ‘complex’ debate
The Wild Dog Management Program will be expanded to include a wider range of agricultural and environmental pests including deer, foxes, pigs and wild cats and be renamed the Vertebrate Species Management Program.
“I was amazed to see the [government] is expanding the program to include other feral invasive species,” Ms Cardwell said.
“It’s high time the government targeted a wider range of these species, but my hope is the wild dog program will not be diluted with the addition of these species.”
Ros Spence says the decision is a win for farmers. (ABC Rural: Jane McNaughton)
Minister for Agriculture Ros Spence said a “deep” level of consultation would be further required to satisfy all parties in an “emotional”, “complex” debate.
“There needs to be an agreed set of facts, so people are clear on how data has been collected and they accept it,” she said.
“Part of this investment going to that population research is really useful.
“This whole exercise has been a balance. A balance of protecting livestock and also dingo conservation.
“We need to have an ongoing conversation about this and that includes the population monitoring.
“I think it is a win for farmers who have been very clear in what their views were and what it would mean for them if this didn’t continue.”
