June 2011

The new parliament has been sitting just two months since the State election. Remarkably, the Shooters and Fishers Party has had greater impact in that time than at any period since it won a seat in 1995. For the first time it can finally claim to be making a difference.  Here is a list of what it has achieved so far:

A private members bill to prohibit the declaration of any marine parks for five years, or sooner pending the outcome of a scientific review of their effectiveness. (Now enacted)

A private members bill to amend the Firearms Act, including removal of air rifles from the registration process. (Still before parliament and will not pass unamended.)

Challenged government funding of the Australian Conservation Foundation and the Environmental Defenders Office.

Convinced the government to re-gazette 142 state forests for hunting, for a period of 10 years.

Asked questions of the government relating to:

Reinstatement of a bounty on foxes

Encouraging tourism development in national parks

The effect of vegetation and biodiversity regulation on rural development

The impact on rural communities of the ban on logging red gum forests

Whether NSW Police has audited its firearms for losses

Commonwealth plans to limit bullbars

A few less commendable achievements:

It forced the government to retain the right of unions to sue employers for breaches of occupational health and safety rules.

It forced the government to exempt police and local government employees from the government’s cap on public servant salary increases.

It forced the government to abandon its plan to reduce the 60 cent/kwh feed-in tariff on solar schemes.