SSAA Victoria News
Akram’s citizenship status wasn’t the problem. So why did Victorian MPs legislate as though it was?
An investigation published by The Australian (paywalled) today puts into sharp focus just how flawed and illogical the political push for citizenship requirements for firearm licensing really is. The central question arising from the horrific Bondi terrorist attack should be straightforward - how...
READ MOREH5N1 deserves science, not political opportunism
Victoria is facing a genuine and potentially devastating wildlife disease threat from highly pathogenic avian influenza (H5N1). Just yesterday, while recording the latest SSAA Victoria podcast, we discussed how disappointing it has already been to see organisations and political groups attempting...
READ MOREA mixed bag – Firearms Amendment and Outdoor Recreation Victoria Bills pass the Parliament
Thursday, 13 August was a significant day in Parliament for Victoria’s shooters and hunters, bookended by the passage of two major pieces of legislation. In the morning, the Outdoor Recreation Victoria Bill passed Parliament. SSAA Victoria welcomed the Government delivering this important reform...
READ MOREFirearms Amendment Bill: They can’t claim that they didn’t know
SSAA Victoria has updated its detailed analysis of the Firearms Amendment Bill currently before the Victorian Parliament and provided it to the Government, Opposition and crossbench MPs. We will be back at State Parliament from Tuesday, making sure our position on this Bill, and on the Outdoor...
READ MORE50,000 strong in our 75th year
SSAA Victoria has passed another major milestone, clocking more than 50,000 members in our 75th year. On 31 July 2026, the Association had 50,320 Victorian members, the first time in our history that membership has passed the 50,000 mark. It is a significant milestone. But perhaps more importantly,...
READ MOREThey wanted the GMA abolished, now they’re fighting to save it…even they can’t keep up!
There is a lot of misinformation being spread about the Outdoor Recreation Victoria Bill that is before the Victorian Parliament at the moment. The Bill should have been finalised last week; with the extraordinary development of a change of Premier and a looming reshuffle of the Ministry, it is...
READ MOREStatement on the election of Premier Ben Carroll
Incoming Premier Ben Carroll is well known to SSAA Victoria and the broader shooting community. As Parliamentary Secretary for Justice between 2014 and 2017, he chaired the Victorian Firearm Consultative Committee and has maintained a constructive relationship with our sector ever since. We...
READ MOREStatement on the Departure of Premier Jacinta Allan
As Victoria prepares for a change of Premier, it is important to acknowledge the leadership Jacinta Allan has shown on shooting, hunting and outdoor recreation over the past three years. Since becoming Premier in September 2023, Ms Allan led a Government that approached these issues in a...
READ MOREBondi
June 17, 2026 Firearms Reform Bill Introduced – SSAA Victoria Response The Victorian Government has today issued a media release ahead of introducing legislation to give effect to its previously announced response to the Ken Lay AO APM firearm review. Our understanding is that the Bill will be...
READ MOREThe VFF wants to jump the queue. We want to eliminate the queue.
A recent Stock & Land article (paywall) highlighting lengthy firearms licensing delays has drawn attention to an issue that SSAA Victoria has been raising for some time. To its credit, Victoria Police Licensing and Regulation Division (LRD) is transparent about its processing times. As at 27 July...
READ MOREIllegal hunting deserves condemnation. The debate about wild deer deserves better.
An article in The Sunday Age (paywalled) highlighted allegations of illegal hunting and trespass on private property in South Gippsland. If the allegations outlined in the article are accurate, those responsible should be identified, prosecuted and held fully accountable. Trespass, unsafe firearm...
READ MOREUK deregulates sound moderators, while Australia remains an international outlier
The United Kingdom has now formally removed sound moderators (known as silencers under Australian law) from its firearms licensing regime, with long-awaited reforms coming into force across England, Wales and Scotland. The changes, implemented through the Crime and Policing Act 2026, represent a...
READ MORE1080 baiting program will put Land Access Panel to the test
As Parliament creates Victoria's new Land Access Panel, one of its first challenges is already emerging. Access is about far more than unlocking gates and opening tracks. When government programs make it impractical or unsafe to hunt with hounds, gundogs or deer dogs across large areas of public...
READ MORENew Zealand moves closer to protected game herds – could Victoria take the next step?
New Zealand is one step closer to formally recognising and managing some of its most iconic wild game populations after the Game Animal Council (Herds of Special Interest) Amendment Bill progressed through Committee of the Whole in Parliament this week. The New Zealand Game Animal Council (NZ GAC)...
READ MOREOutdoor Recreation Victoria by another name still smells as sweet
Parliament’s Upper House passes the new authority…renamed, amended, delayed, but moving forward. The overnight debate on the new outdoor recreation authority was messy, at times frustrating, occasionally theatrical and, in the end, exactly what parliamentary compromise often looks like. The...
READ MORETarago shows what good deer management could actually look like
There is a tendency in wildlife management debates to treat action itself as success. Money spent becomes outcomes achieved. Animals removed become impacts reduced. A helicopter in the air becomes “management”. But if there is one lesson from the Tarago deer program in West Gippsland, it is...
READ MOREPremier Backs Responsible Firearm Owners as Government Signals Strong Support for Outdoor Recreation and Hunting
Question Time delivers two important messages for Victoria’s shooting and hunting community Yesterday’s Question Time delivered two significant moments for Victoria’s hunting and shooting community. The first saw the Premier strongly defend the principle that responsible firearm ownership...
READ MOREFacts matter in any discussion about hunting compliance
Recent reporting by the ABC regarding Victoria’s hunting regulator and wetland compliance raises serious allegations and broad conclusions about hunting regulation in this state. Robust scrutiny of regulators is healthy and necessary. Recreational hunting is a lawful activity carried out largely...
READ MORE