Activists behind a new anti duck hunting billboard close to Jacinta Allan's Bendigo office hope the display makes the Premier "pay attention and say ... these guys are serious".
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The digital billboard shows two messages - "stop shooting the natives Jacinta" and "the Premier's priority is that shooters have fun, your taxes and our native birds are paying" - at the corner of Wills Street and Mitchell Street in central Bendigo.
"Desperation" had driven the campaign, organisers said.
"We have never had a response to all the invitations issued to her to come and witness what it is like living by the waterways," Regional Victorians Opposed to Duck Hunting spokesperson, Sue Williams, said.
"She is just not interested in hearing about it. So we are bringing our message to her."
Activists swoop on Premier's electorate
Last week Ms Allan said her on duck hunting near Bendigo remained "unchanged".
"Duck and quail hunting is a legitimate recreational activity," she said on April 10.
Ms Williams said the Premier's unchanged position was why the group chose to only display the billboards in her electorate of Bendigo East.
"Because we have taken it to her electorate, we are hoping that she will say to herself "these guys want to talk to me ... maybe it's worth listening."
"She needs to hear [from] regional Victorians about how bird hunting is impacting them," she said.
Ms Williams said the billboard displays aimed to highlight the plight of native birds killed during duck season.
A spokesperson for the Victorian government said they supported the continuation of duck hunting in a "safe, sustainable way with minimal harm to our environment".
"GMA Game Officers, Victoria Police and Authorised Officers from DEECA and Parks Victoria will be patrolling wetlands across Victoria to ensure compliance with hunting, animal welfare and public safety laws," the spokesperson said.
Parliamentary inquiry shot down
In August 2023, a parliamentary inquiry called for recreational duck hunting to be banned across all Victorian public and private land from 2024.
The recommendation was rejected after Premier Jacinta Allan met ministers in late January.
Premier Allan denied personal and union links influenced a decision to continue allowing duck hunting in Victoria.
The state government would close 32 wetlands, including Greens Lake and Lake Stewart near Bendigo, to hunting for the 2024 season to prevent losses or disturbance to threatened species and breeding waterbirds.
The 2024 duck season started at 8.00 am on Wednesday, April 10 and would close 30 minutes after sunset on Wednesday, June 5.
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