Greater hunting access backed for Tasmania’s STT land

A motion calling for greater recreational hunting access to land managed by Sustainable Timber Tasmania (STT) has passed the Tasmanian Parliament.

This is a positive and practical step towards improving public land access for hunters and wildlife management.

Moved by Shooters, Fishers and Farmers MP Carlo Di Falco, the motion asked the State Government, among other things, to:

• Identify suitable STT-managed land that can safely be opened to public hunting as the default position; and
• Mandate that licensed hunters have priority access, with contract shooters to be used only where necessary due to operational, safety or environmental requirements that cannot reasonably be met through public hunting.

For hunters, the most obvious benefit is improved access. In Tasmania, access to some hunting areas has become more restricted, even as deer and other wildlife remain a management concern.

If implemented, the direction could also strengthen the role of hunters in conservation and wildlife management.

By prioritising licensed recreational hunters where it is safe and practical, the government could reduce reliance on taxpayer-funded contractors while still retaining professional control methods for situations that require them. It also recognises hunters as part of the wildlife-management toolkit rather than treating recreational hunting as separate from land stewardship.

While the motion still needs to be acted on, if implemented well, it could create a clearer, more consistent pathway for licensed hunters to book and use public forestry land.

This could also deliver secondary economic benefits to regional areas, with hunters spending money on local services including fuel, accommodation, food and equipment.

With appropriate safeguards in place, the direction could become a useful model for expanding responsible hunting access across Australia, giving hunters more opportunity, helping manage wildlife pressure and delivering value to regional communities.