About Us
The Game Management Authority (GMA) is an independent statutory authority responsible for the regulation of game hunting in Victoria. It delivers programs to improve and promote responsible hunting in Victoria. The GMA is responsible for:
- issuing Game Licences
- managing open and closed seasons for game species
- enforcing game hunting laws and taking action against those who do not hunt legally
- educating and informing hunters on how to hunt legally in Victoria.
The GMA has an important role in managing natural resources across Victoria addressing:
- the sustainable harvest of game species
- the humane treatment of animals that are hunted and used in game hunting
- minimising any negative impacts on non-game wildlife, including protected and threatened species
- the conservation of wildlife habitats.
GMA staff are located across Victoria to help oversee game hunting activities. Game Licences and information continue to be available from Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning offices, as well as through this website.
The GMA reports to the Minister for Agriculture.
Game hunting in Victoria meets community expectations as a sustainable and well-regulated activity based on science and conducted in a responsible manner.
We regulate through education, research and enforcement to achieve responsible and sustainable game hunting in Victoria.
Goal 1: Make evidence-based education a cornerstone of our work.
Key result: Our educational programs are evidence-based and compliance and behaviour has improved because we have applied our understanding of motivations and behaviours.
Goal 2: Monitor game animal abundance and harvest levels and undertake research to ensure hunting remains sustainable.
Key result: Hunting sustainability improves and does not adversely affect populations of native species.
Goal 3: Be respected and recognised as an effective regulator.
Key result: Stakeholders clearly understand our purpose and our role in sustainability and responsibility in game hunting.
Goal 4: Deliver risk-based and intelligence-led compliance programs.
Key result: We are able to measure and improve compliance.
Goal 5: Increase our capability and expertise.
Key result: We have sufficient internal capability and capacity to achieve effective regulation and the provision of reliable advice to government.
Our work is made stronger by the values that guide it.
- We respect each other – and the commitment of all our stakeholders to their work and their causes. This value is evident in the quality and diversity of our relationships with each other and with our stakeholders.
- We act with integrity, courage and transparency by focusing tightly on our role as an impartial, predictable regulator on behalf of all Victorians.
- We value expertise and advice based on sound science and direct experience.
- We are always open to learning from and engaging with our stakeholders.
- We aspire to excellence in our behaviour, our work and our outputs.
In addition to its core regulatory role, the GMA performs a range of other functions, including:
- working with public land managers to improve the management of State Game Reserves and other public land where hunting is permitted
- monitoring, conducting research and analysing the environmental, social and economic impacts of game hunting and management
- working closely with partner agencies, such as the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, Victoria Police and Parks Victoria
- making recommendations to relevant Ministers about game hunting and game management, the control of pest animals, declaring public land open and closed to game hunting, open and closed seasons and bag limits.
Responsibilities for game management and hunting in Victoria
The responsibility for hunting and game management is shared across a range of government departments and agencies. The following table outlines the roles and responsibilities of these organisations in game management in Victoria.
Who | Role |
---|---|
Minister for Agriculture |
|
Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change |
|
Game Management Authority (GMA) |
|
Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions (DJPR) |
|
Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP) |
|
Parks Victoria |
|
Department of Justice and Community Safety (DJCS) |
|
Victoria Police |
|
Victorian Environmental Water Holder |
|
Rural Water Corporations |
|
Catchment Management Authorities |
|
RSPCA Victoria |
|