In NSW, the Game and Pest Management Advisory Board (the Board) represents the interests of licensed hunters to the government.
The Board is an advisory body appointed under the Game and Feral Animal Control Act 2002 that provides independent advice to the Minister for Agriculture and Western NSW and the Department of Primary Industries on important matters relating to hunting and game and pest animal management in NSW.
The inaugural Board was active between 2014 and 2019, with several research and stakeholder forum reports available to read on the DPI website. A revised Board has been appointed by the Minister through to 2025, with a mix of incumbent and new members. Board members possess a broad range of expertise from wildlife, pest and sustainable land management, through to project management and policy formation.
The first new addition to the Board is Andrew Walsh, who has 18 years’ experience in environmental and heritage management. Having grown up on a beef cattle property and actively hunted his entire life, Andrew understands the importance of a well-educated and regulated game hunting industry in managing a healthy agriculture sector and ecosystem.
Dan Field, founding member and current president of the South Coast Hunter Club will also be joining the Board for the first time. Growing up in regional NSW and being a keen hunter for over fifty years, he brings an understanding of the needs of landholders, hunters and small hunting clubs.
An experienced cattle grazier in the Northern Tablelands, Robert Costello is a keen hunter and his role as President of the Moona-Winterbourne Wild Dog Control Association has seen him involved in numerous advisory panels and planning groups aimed at developing plans to control vertebrate pests.
The last of the new board members is Jai Rowell, CEO of SSAA NSW. Jai also serves on the National Board of the SSAA and has a keen interest in conservation and wildlife projects. He holds extensive expertise in policy formulation across all levels of Government, having served as a Member of Parliament in NSW.
Emeritus Professor Robert Mulley, from the School of Science at Western Sydney University, is returning to the role of Chairperson of the Board. An active recreational hunter in his spare time, E/Prof Mulley is also a current member of several advisory groups focusing on wildlife management and biosecurity.
Also returning for another term on the Board is active hunter, retired school teacher and regional landholder, Christine Hall, active hunter and retired project management professional, David Voss and experienced veterinary surgeon, Dr Justin Clarke.
The Board is required to meet on at least two occasions each year, with planning for their first meeting underway.
Keep an eye out for updates on Board meetings and invitations to future licence holder forums hosted by the Board.
For more information on the Game and Pest Management Advisory Board, including board member bios and their organisational charter, visit www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/hunting/game-and-pest-board.
If you have any questions about hunting in NSW, contact the Game Licensing Unit by calling 02 6363 7650 during business hours (Monday – Friday 8.30 am – 4.30 pm), using the contact us form on our website www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/hunting or send us a message via the DPI Hunting Facebook page.
