New SSAA Victoria President Dave Schereck met up with Nationals, Minister Bridget McKenzie at a recent function to exchange ideas about how SSAA Victoria could raise issues with Government to ensure that our current entitlements to a lawful and legitimate sport and recreation are not eroded.
Following on from their discussion, Minister McKenzie has written to SSAA Victoria outlining her work and vision for hunting and shooting.
Letter from Senator The Hon Bridget McKenzie
The couple of years have been tough for Australians. In particular the pandemic has been very tough. But by working together, Australia’s recovery is leading the world. I am proud of the Liberal and Nationals Government’s work in leading the country through this time. Australia has one of the highest vaccination rates in the world, our economy is strong and Australia is one of a small number of countries to maintain a AAA credit rating.
Aussie Sporting Shooters and law-abiding firearm owners have also faced a number of difficult issues and The Nationals have been proud to stand up for law-abiding firearm owners in Canberra.
During COVID we saw firearm dealers forced to close their businesses, there were even reports that firearms could spread the virus. We challenged these assumptions in Senate Estimates in 2020 and got leading health experts to admit, on record, that there was no established epidemiological link between the transmission of coronavirus and firearm use.
The Nationals will always stand-up for law abiding firearm owners and their right to privacy. Recently, WA police distributed a map to the media showing the real locations of firearms owners. It is unacceptable for data to be leveraged and exposed in this way and I have written to the authorities to get this rectified.
As a true supporter of hunting and shooting, it isn’t just firearm owners that we’ve rallied behind, but the industry as a whole. I have shone a light on banks denying lending to firearm dealers and solved the Fed-Ex TNT freight issue which saw backlogs of firearms unable to be transported across the country. Together with importers, dealers, and shooting associations, The Nationals worked to ensure that safe, secure, and reliable transportation of firearms would continue. And this was delivered within only a matter of weeks.
The Nationals know that our economy is $335 million and 3,300 jobs larger as a result of our sports and hunting. This economic activity also generates secondary benefits through the purchase of goods and services such as fuel, groceries and accommodation. There is also the contribution to game meats in the food supply chain through professional hunting.
The Nationals will also be advocating for the inclusion of the sport of shooting when the Commonwealth Games is held in Victoria. Australian Shooting has won more medals than any other country in shooting at the Commonwealth Games – 175 of them. Shooting deserves its place on the big stage. It’s been tough enough over the past couple years with clubs and ranges across the country having their gates locked and competitions cancelled due to COVID-19 lockdowns.
There’s always push-back when advocating for the rights of Sporting Shooters and law-abiding firearm owners, so there’s always a choice to be made. A Labor government would back down – as we have seen with WA, Victoria and Queensland Labor governments during the pandemic, where they prohibited firearm sales. The Nationals never will. This Government recognises that many Australians lawfully and responsibly participate in a wide range of shooting activities. Our support for recreational shooters, for businesses like dealers and importers, for our hunters and farmers, will not waiver and at this election, by supporting The Nationals, you will be supporting the future of shooting sports and hunting in Australia.
