Page 924 - Week 03 - Thursday, 14 March 1991
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We have harmonised our Bill with the generic statement and henceforth the importation of those military style centre fire self-loaders will be prohibited. In recognition that such firearms are already available in Australia, the Weapons Bill only permits their use for competition shooting at an approved club. The Commonwealth regulation on importation allows the importation of non-military style centre fire self-loaders with a detachable magazine but only with a maximum of five rounds. It also allows rim fire self-loaders in that category, but our Bill places no specific restrictions on these kind of firearms. They can be used for competition shooting and so forth, as we have mentioned in debate.
Coming back to the historical line, the first State election that was held after the initiatives were taken nationwide was called by the unfortunate Unsworth Labor Government. It campaigned on the basis of the background of the Hoddle Street and Queen Street massacres and, of course, the Government fell, with the shooting movement claiming some element of the credit for its fall. Later in the year the Victorian Labor Government went to the polls, having stepped back from the very strong gun controls that it had previously announced. It survived. Thereafter we have a process of evolution of the legislation in this Territory as we moved towards self-government. Quite properly, the Follett-Whalan Government continued the preparation of the legislation, and the Bill, as drafted in its initial form, was brought down by our Government in February 1990. It reflected an early decision of the first ACT Labor Government to agree to the preparation of a Weapons Bill. So, it has been a joint project. I put that on the record so that there can be no suggestion that the Alliance is simply point-taking.
Mr Deputy Speaker, I conclude by making a very strong statement of gratitude to the public servants who have assisted the processing of this legislation, particularly Mr Ross Jones and Mr Andrew Mason who are in the chamber today to assist us with the passage at the detail stage. They have gone to enormous lengths in this matter and have survived a great deal of representation, some of which at certain stages was quite pointed. I believe that they are very meritorious public servants and that their service to us in this regard should be recognised.
MR DEPUTY SPEAKER: Thank you, Mr Collaery, and thank you for those explanatory comments in relation to certain clauses.
Question resolved in the affirmative.
Bill agreed to in principle.
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