NSW Farmers demand scrutiny on Bondi atrocity saying any state or federal Royal Commission must put the causes of hatred, rushed firearms changes and procedural failures under the microscope.
Unworkable crackdown
NSW Farmers President Xavier Martin said the unworkable crackdown on law-abiding firearm owners rushed through NSW Parliament before Christmas was a shocking example of panicked politics running roughshod over practical policy that must be examined.
‘Let’s be absolutely clear, the Bondi atrocity was an act of hatred that had nothing to do with law-abiding farmers owning firearms in Australia,’ says Mr Martin.
‘It is a nonsense to suggest that these new laws, rushed through on Christmas Eve with no apparent thought as to the practical impacts, are anything more than a knee-jerk political response rather than protection from future acts of hatred and terror.
‘The Australian public deserves to have real answers about what led to this atrocity, whether there were any systemic failures that need to be addressed, and what role politics played in this dysfunctional crackdown on firearms.’
Deeply disappointing
Mr Martin said it was deeply disappointing farmers and those involved in agriculture had been unfairly impacted by the new laws, with unworkable requirements making compliance incredibly difficult. NSW Farmers was already working hard to secure practical outcomes in firearms regulations, he said, and had made strong representations to the government on the myriad issues raised by the farming community.
‘It’s pretty clear we have been unfairly targeted and treated like criminals, despite the fact our law-abiding farmers and those involved in agriculture have only ever used firearms as an essential tool to help feed the nation,’ Mr Martin said.
‘Addressing the scourge of antisemitism and hate preachers – not to mention deepening social divisions – is the real work needed to protect our country.
‘We expect to see a frank and fearless assessment of the couple of years leading up to the Bondi atrocity, because at the moment we’ve only got hastily-prepared and poorly-drafted legislation that unfairly targets law-abiding firearms owners.’
The terms of reference
NSW Farmers was advocating for the terms of reference of the state or potential federal Royal Commission to include a focus on:
• Antisemitism in Australia, particularly following October 7, 2023
• Hate preachers and those promoting social division
• Which groups influenced the impractical new firearms laws
• Exactly how the firearms changes in NSW were determined
Mr Martin said NSW Farmers made multiple attempts to provide meaningful input to the NSW Government’s firearms legislation in the week following the Bondi atrocity, but the haste of a pre-Christmas crackdown meant proper consultation to deliver realistic changes did not occur.
‘It’s clear the pollies picked a magic number out of a hat to decide how many firearms farmers could own – and then they went and banned non-existent firearms in their hasty, poorly-drafted legislation,’ Mr Martin said.
‘That bill was a mad dog’s breakfast, and it could have been even worse if we didn’t put up the fight we did.
‘We need scrutiny on why governments would rather do anything else than engage with farmers to create workable rules, or address the real problems that are putting our nation at risk, and that’s why we support a Royal Commission into this atrocity.’
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