The Australian Gun Safety Alliance (AGSA) is calling on the NSW Government to reject the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party’s (SFFP) proposed Hunting Bill, warning it poses a serious threat to public safety and undermines Australia’s proud firearm safety legacy.
Despite being packaged as a conservation measure, the Bill is being celebrated by the gun lobby not for its environmental benefits, but for what one shooting group is calling “the biggest victory for hunters in two decades.”
"This Bill is not about conservation," said Stephen Bendle, Convenor of the Australian Gun Safety Alliance. "It's being ushered in through political deals that prioritise special interests over the safety of communities."
The Bill includes alarming provisions such as:
- The establishment of a Conservation Hunting Authority, controlled by hunting organisations, reviving the discredited Game Council that was scrapped in 2013 after a damning review found it prioritised hunter interests over public safety.
- Enshrining a “right to hunt” — in direct contradiction to the National Firearms Agreement and NSW’s own Firearms Act, which clearly state that gun ownership is a privilege, conditional on public safety.
- The creation of a Minister for Hunting and Fishing, effectively a government advocate for the commercial shooting industry — a move that would be unthinkable for other commercial industries like gambling, tobacco or alcohol.
- Legalising silencers, expanding access to night-vision hunting, opening more Crown Land to shooters, and implementing bounty programs — policies that further normalise and expand firearm use in ways that have nothing to do with conservation.
“Let’s be clear — this Bill is about enabling more people to use more guns, more often,” Mr Bendle said. “It reads like a wish list for the shooting industry, hidden in the belly of a conservation-themed Trojan Horse Bill.”
NSW already has more registered firearms than any other state or territory — more than 1.1 million, with over 30% stored in suburban homes. Despite this, there is no limit on the number of guns a licensed individual can own, with some owning upwards of 300.
Yet, the overwhelming majority of Australians continue to support strict gun laws. Since the Port Arthur tragedy in 1996, nearly 90% of Australians have backed our national gun safety framework, or want it strengthened. In NSW, 97% of people do not own a firearm.
“Gun safety should never be up for negotiation,” Mr Bendle said. “No backroom deal is worth risking public safety. Australians — and especially the 8 million people in NSW who don’t own a firearm — deserve laws that protect them, not policies written to appease a well-funded and vocal minority.”
AGSA, which was founded by the Alannah & Madeline Foundation, represents a broad coalition of organisations from the health, medical, education, emergency services, faith and domestic and family violence sectors — all of whom see firsthand the devastating impacts of gun misuse, from suicide to family violence and accidental deaths.
The Alliance is urging the NSW Government to uphold the core principle of Australia’s firearm laws: that public safety must come first.
Available for comment:
Stephen Bendle – Convener, Australian Gun Safety Alliance / Advocacy Advisor, Alannah & Madeline Foundation
Joel Negin - Professor of Public Health, University of Sydney
Tim Quinn – Gun Control Australia
Emma Hurst – MP Animal Justice Party
For further information or interview requests, please contact:
Simon Redman-Jones – Media & Communications Manager, Alannah & Madeline Foundation
