VICTORIAN Senator Bridget McKenzie has come out firing in her defence of hunting and shooting.
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Ms McKenzie delivered a blistering attack on animal rights activists in the Senate last month, before forming the Parliamentary Friends of Shooting group.
During the speech Ms McKenzie, whose office is in Bendigo, said people opposed to hunting were "social do-gooders" of an "elitist bent".
The speech was made in defence of cricketer Glenn McGrath, who attracted heated criticism after photos emerged of him with large African game he had shot.
"We have seen the constant demonisation of hunting and hunters," Ms McKenzie said in the speech.
We have seen the constant demonisation of hunting and hunters.
- Bridget McKenzie
"It is a result of social do-gooders, of animal rights activists, of people who are of an elitist bent and think how they envisage the world ... is how it should be and they're going to persecute those who participate in incredibly legal pastimes.
"They are arrogant in their dismissal of this way of life, these animal rights protagonists.
"It is in our very DNA to hunt and gather."
Ms McKenzie started the Parliamentary Friends of Shooting group to "highlight all the positive impacts shooting brings".
More than 40 parliamentarians have signed up to the group, including Labor MP Joel Fitzgibbon, who is co-chairing it, and independent senators Ricky Muir and Glenn Lazarus.
The group promotes both target shooting and hunting animals.
Ms McKenzie said hunting provided Victoria with significant economic benefits, contributing $430 million annually to the Victorian economy and creating 1500 jobs.
She said she supported hunting so long as it was conducted in a sustainable fashion, killing animals with significant populations, or which were over-populated.
"I think we do that really well with our duck season," she said.
"There are people internationally who will pay money to hunt a variety of animals. I'm for economic development."
However, RSPCA Victoria chief executive Liz Walker said Ms McKenzie's views were "outrageous".
"It is absolutely outrageous that one of our own state senators is leading the charge in setting up a group of parliamentarians to support and even promote such cruel and senseless activities without even a thought for the animals," she said.
"Hunting has the potential to result in significant animal suffering: animals are sometimes chased to the point of exhaustion and then killed with methods that do not cause a quick and painless death.
"We know that Victorians do not support duck hunting, so we expect that many Victorians would be embarrassed that our own government is keen to promote our state as a go-to destination for killing any wildlife."