Australia – -(Ammoland.com)- It is by no means a complete victory, but your demands to Australian politicians that they listen to shooters concerns over the Adler / National Firearms Agreement issues have paid off.
Today the government announced the creation of an Industry Reference Group to advise it further on the Adler / categorisation issues.
Another group? Well, it’s our understanding that this group will include people from our side of the fence.
Why? Because the feds released their bureaucrats were pushing their own barrow, which would have led one of the Coalition partners into a long 1996 style fight they did not want.
Last Friday (7 August 2015), the Attorney General’s Department convened a consultation forum for shooting groups in Brisbane. This was held at short notice, and those going there knew this was more of an exercise of bureaucrats trying to cover the fact they had not consulted, by conducting a sham consultation process.
Read this brilliant letter from Beretta’s Luca Scribani Rossi. It’s a great description of how industry viewed what went on. It may well have been the straw that broke the camel’s back.
Today, the National’s Senator Bridget McKenzie announced the creation of the Industry Reference Group. The group will provide more input into the process for reviewing the National Firearms Agreement. Click here to see her media release.
Obviously we would prefer this whole thing started from scratch (or not at all) but at least It is recognition by the government that continuing on the old course was going to lead to a lot more pain.
So the help and donations you’ve given to the CFCV, alongside the efforts of the other shooting organisations here and interstate, have helped get us this far. Thanks also go to the National Party and in particular Senator McKenzie who worked tirelessly to achieve this result. If you’d like to thank Senator McKenzie, you can email her at: [email protected]
UPDATE: The government has now named the organisations who will be on the Industry Reference Group. Click here for that information.
About Combined Firearms Council of Victoria
The Combined Firearms Council of Victoria represents five of Victoria’s major shooting organisations – Field & Game Australia, Firearm Trades Association, Sporting Shooters Association of Australia, Victorian Amateur Pistol Association and Vintagers: Order of Edwardian Gunners. Visit: www.firearmscouncil.org.au