New Firearms Advisory Council
16 July 2010
The Minister for Home Affairs Brendan O’Connor today announced a new Commonwealth Firearms Advisory Council, replacing the Sporting Shooters and Firearms Advisory Council.
The new Council will advise the Government on a wide range of firearms issues.
“The Council’s mandate will not be limited to issues affecting sporting shooters, but will include firearms issues of national importance such as the Commonwealth importation.
“The members of the new council are drawn from the commercial and recreational shooting community and were chosen for their experience and depth of knowledge of firearms issues.
“The Gillard Government places a high value on public consultation, which is vital in achieving well informed policy decisions.
“This group will provide the opportunity for this Government to hear directly from members of the shooting community about the issues they care about.”
Mr O’Connor stressed that Australia has one of the strictest and most effective firearm control regimes in the world.
The Gillard Government remains firmly committed to the principles agreed to under the 1996 National Firearms Agreement and subsequent 2003 National Handgun Agreement.
“These controls strike a balance between the interests of those with a genuine reason to have access to firearms and the need for the community to live in a safe and secure environment.”
The members of the new Commonwealth Firearms Advisory Council are:
- Mr Tim Bannister - Executive Director, Sporting Shooters Association of Australia
- Mr Robert Nioa - Managing Director, Nioa Trading and Director, National Dealers and Traders Council
- Mr Robert Schwartz - Former Senior Technical Advisor - Firearms, Victoria Police
- Mr Russell Bate - Chair, Field and Game Australia
- Dr Samara McPedran - Chair, International Coalition for Women in Shooting and Hunting
- Mr Douglas Shupe - Federation of Hunting Clubs and Game Council NSW
The council will also include permanent representatives of the Sporting Shooters Association of Australia, the Attorney-General’s Department, the Australian Federal Police and Customs and Border Protection.
The new council will meet about twice a year.
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