Page 1107 - Week 04 - Thursday, 21 May 2020
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MRS JONES (Murrumbidgee) (4.19): I move amendment No 1 circulated in my name [see schedule 2 at page 1140]. This changes the title of the bill to reflect the changes that we have agreed to.
Amendment agreed to.
Clause 1, as amended, agreed to.
Title agreed to.
Bill, as amended, agreed to.
Firearms Legislation Amendment Bill 2020
Debate resumed from 13 February 2020, on motion by Mr Gentleman:
That this bill be agreed to in principle.
MR MILLIGAN (Yerrabi) (4.20): Today I rise to express my support for the Firearms Legislation Amendment Bill, as shadow minister for sport and recreation. All too often, when people think about sport they think about mainstream or popular sports. However, in my journey of consultation and engagement with the sporting and recreation community, I have found that there is much diversity. There really is something for everyone. This legislation is an important step in addressing a small segment of our sporting community—primarily the sports of biathlon and modern pentathlon.
The Firearms Legislation Amendment Bill will allow athletes, coaches, sporting organisations and officials in these sports to use laser target shooting devices without permits. This means that people can train, compete or participate in the sports of biathlon and modern pentathlon much more easily. It can help make these sports less intimidating or restricting for people who might want to try them for the first time, as well as provide more flexibility to undertake training.
These changes will help event organisers and local clubs to host more competitions and, importantly, should increase the opportunity for interstate athletes to participate in these sports here in the ACT.
As part of my consultation on this bill, I reached out to a range of local clubs and also national bodies such as the Australian Biathlon Association and Modern Pentathlon Australia. I contacted these national bodies because I was keen to gauge what level of interest they would have in hosting an event here in the near future. It was interesting to note that these organisations had not heard from the ACT government about this legislation or about event opportunities.
Mr Assistant Speaker, as you would be aware, a key driver of the Canberra Liberals’ sport and recreation policy—find your game—is sports tourism. We want to make Canberra the amateur sporting capital of Australia. We want to bring more events here,
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