First meeting of the new Firearms Advisory Council
The Hon Brendan O’Connor MP, Minister for Home Affairs, Minister for Justice
29 October 2010
Minister for Home Affairs and Justice Brendan O’Connor today welcomed today’s first meeting of the new Commonwealth Firearms Advisory Council at Parliament House in Canberra.
The new Council will build upon the work of the previous advisory council by advising the Gillard Government on a greater range of firearms issues.
“The Council will consider matters affecting sporting shooters, the operation of the importation regime and other firearms issues of national importance,” Mr O’Connor said.
“The members of the Council are drawn from commercial, recreational and competitive parts of the shooting community and were chosen for their experience and depth of knowledge.”
The members of the Council are Tim Bannister of the Sporting Shooters’ Association of Australia (SSAA), Russell Bate of Field & Game Australia, Catherine Fettell of Pistol Australia, Samara McPhedran of the International Coalition for Women in Shooting and Hunting (WISH), Robert Nioa of the National Dealers and Traders Council, former Victoria Police officer Robert Schwarz, and Douglas Shupe of the Federation of Hunting Clubs.
The Council also includes ex-officio representatives from the Sporting Shooters’ Association of Australia, the Attorney-General’s Department, the Australian Federal Police and Customs and Border Protection.
“The Gillard Government knows that public consultation is important to achieving good policy outcomes and that’s why we make it a priority,” Mr O’Connor said.
“This group will provide an avenue for me to hear directly from members of the shooting community on things they care about and I will consider their views in my policy deliberations.”
Today’s meeting will discuss ways to better incorporate public input into the work of the Council and will begin considering changes to the Commonwealth import regime.
“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.
“Australia’s firearm controls strike a balance between the interests of those with a genuine reason to access firearms and the need for a safe and secure community,” Mr O’Connor said.
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