Stakeholder and community research

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.

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.

Connecting with Victorian hunters - report of findings

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 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.