Stakeholder and community research
REDUCE Wounding Research
ORIMA Research is currently contacting duck hunters to participate in research on behalf of the GMA to help develop effective communications materials for improving hunter success while reducing waterfowl wounding.
See below for more information about the research and how to participate.
The GMA has conducted the following stakeholder and community research.
In 2025, the Game Management Authority (GMA) commissioned ORIMA Research to conduct research into impact and effectiveness of the GMA’s REDUCE Wounding campaign, by developing an understanding of how hunters perceive and respond to the campaign.
The GMA launched its REDUCE Wounding campaign in 2022 to promote key actions that duck hunters can take to reduce waterfowl wounding and ensure the ongoing sustainability of duck hunting in Victoria. Effectively communicating ways hunters can reduce waterfowl wounding caused by hunting is a key action in the Victorian Government’s Waterfowl Wounding Reduction Action Plan 2025 – 2029 (WWRAP).
We invited licenced duck hunters with a registered email address to complete an online survey. A total of 1,250 responded to the online survey (15 per cent of licence holders) and another 20 took part in focus groups.
Key findings
- 90% of participants acknowledged the importance of the campaign
- 94% of participants say they take steps to reduce wounding
- 93% agree it’s important to continue to improve hunting skills to reduce wounding
- 36% want to see more promotion from hunting organisations
- 29% said the information was new to them
- The campaign has had a positive influence on hunters’ attitudes and behaviours, (particularly among younger hunters and hunters with less experience)
Key recommendations
- Increase messaging that acknowledges hunters’ existing skills
- Promote the importance of reducing wounding for the future of duck hunting
- Promote when hunters do the right thing
- Continue to utilise the GMA’s main communication channels
- Utilise hunting associations and clubs to communicate key messages to duck hunters
What’s next?
The feedback from hunters will inform the future direction of the REDUCE Wounding campaign. The GMA in cooperation with key stakeholders will implement recommendations from the research. Doing so will improve hunter success while contributing to the WWRAP goal of achieving a continuing decline in the monitored level of wounding in duck hunting in Victoria.
In 2025, the GMA asked ORIMA Research to help us better understand how Victorian Game Licence holders prefer to receive information.
We wanted to know:
- How well our current communication and engagement is working
- Where licence holders go for information
- What types of information they want and how they want to be communicated with.
We invited licence holders with a registered email address to complete an online survey. Almost 5,000 people responded, and another 20 took part in online focus groups.
What we heard
- The GMA is a key source of trusted information, especially on hunting rules and regulations such as season dates, bag limits, permitted hunting areas, legal hunting methods, and licensing requirements.
- Game Licence holders most often look for information on the GMA website, but also turn to friends, family, colleagues, online searches, hunting associations, clubs, and Facebook.
- The type of information people most want from us is game hunting laws and regulations, including when and where to hunt.
- The most preferred communication channels are the GMA website, direct email, Facebook and SMS updates
What’s next
We’re using this feedback to make improvements—providing clearer, more direct communications and continuing to update the GMA website so it remains the go-to source for accurate information.
The GMA commissioned ORIMA Research to conduct stakeholder sentiment research to measure levels of awareness and understanding of the GMA and its role amongst key stakeholder groups, as well as to gain insights into perceptions and attitudes towards the GMA and its performance.
The GMA surveyed partner agencies, peak bodies and a small group of licensed game hunters. Participants were invited by email to complete an online survey, and in-depth interviews were conducted with some participants.
The primary objectives of the research were to understand stakeholder perceptions of the GMA’s role and its performance against key performance indicators, identify issues related to the productivity and effectiveness of GMA’s relationships with its stakeholders and establish a baseline measure of stakeholder satisfaction to allow tracking over time.
For more information, read the Stakeholder sentiment research 2021 report.
The Game Management Authority has undertaken a Benchmarking Project with Australian and international regulators.
We had 52 regulators / law enforcement agencies respond to the survey, from around the world from areas of money laundering, gaming and liquor, sports integrity, natural resources, building and construction, occupational health and safety, energy, financial services and local councils.
The survey asked other regulators about their administrative processes, resources, their involvement in investigations, and the outcomes of serious / significant Investigations.
The overall aim of the project is to establish a benchmark for best practice, so that we can monitor and measure our own regulatory performance. The results of the survey help to develop a deeper understanding of the various approaches that regulators use when conducting investigations.
Read the full report on the Investigations benchmarking project 2020.
In 2018, the Game Management Authority commissioned Australian Survey Research Group (ASR) to develop, conduct and analyse a survey of Victorian Game Hunting Licence holders which focused on how hunters want to be communicated with and what game hunting topics are of importance to them.
Almost 4000 Victorian Game Licence holders responded to the survey. The invitation list was based on people aged over 16 years, and who had a valid Victorian Game Licence.
The following report presents the results of a survey conducted in June 2018.
In 2023, the GMA commissioned ORIMA Research to conduct a survey of Victorian communities to measure levels of awareness and understanding of the GMA and its role. The research also aimed to gain insights into perceptions and attitudes towards the GMA and its performance.
The GMA uses stakeholder and community research to inform its approach to stakeholder and community engagement. This research establishes a baseline measure of community understanding of the GMA’s role to allow tracking over time.
While the majority of respondents were able to correctly identify aspects of the GMA’s role and responsibilities (seven correct answers out of 13, on average), respondents had more difficulty recognising whether certain misconceptions were part of the GMA’s role (such as managing game habitats and public land).
Satisfaction with GMA was higher among those who demonstrated greater familiarity with the GMA’s functions and those who had more positive perceptions of the impact of game hunting.
Respondents who were aware of the GMA, and lived in areas where hunting occurs, were more positive about the GMA being fair and making decisions based on the best available advice and evidence.
More generally, the results show that we could improve community perceptions of the GMA’s services by raising awareness of our role and the work that we do.
For more information, read the Community research 2023 report.
The survey questionnaire and respondent demographics are available at Community research 2023 - appendices.
Page last updated: 29 May 2026