SSAA NSW

12 • which staff member is taking the calls; • how many calls went to voicemail; and • how many of those calls were returned. It will take time to analyse a sufficient amount of data from the information above, but early reports are showing many more members are now able to get in contact with us with increased ease. This is a great management tool and most importantly is focused on improving services for members. 58,000 MEMBERS STRONG AND GROWING It is well known that our membership, although the largest of any peak association, had largely remained constant at approximately 56,000 members for some time. One of the first tasks our President and Board made clear to myself was that this had to change. 2020 was to be our year of growth. With the onset of COVID-19, however, it was anticipated that growth could not increase within pandemic conditions and may, instead, drop. With that challenge, SSAA NSW continued to investigate ways to increase growth in the restricted circumstances. Building on the fantastic work from our Branches and Clubs, modernising our systems to better service existing and new members, significantly increasing our advocacy program and of course, increasing communication has seen an increase in our membership. We have now added an additional 2,000 members to the SSAA NSW family. This is a great achievement in a short period of time and we continue to look to improve on this further. There is strength in numbers, as they say, which is helping with our advocacy campaigns with government. I would ask everyone reading this to try and encourage one new member to join by Australia Day 2021, whether it be a family member, a friend, a co-worker or neighbour. If you are reading this and are a licensed shooter, but not a member, I would ask you to consider joining SSAA NSW. Becoming a member supports the sport we love and allows us to continue protecting law-abiding firearms owners. This is the time we need your support. ADVOCACY Lance has outlined, in his report and extended review (see page 18), the important ongoing work in relation to advocacy, including our recent appearance before the NSW Upper House Inquiry. Although there have been some good wins, of course, our attention turns to the unintended consequences that negatively impact law-abiding firearms owners as a result of the Firearms (Criminal Use) Bill before the NSW parliament. Rest assured we are working overtime in our advocacy and we thank everyone who has put in a submission, contacted us and joined the campaign. Please watch this space for our next request for help, where we can all play a part. If the Bill is passed, without addressing the significant unintended consequences, it will represent the largest negative impact to law-abiding firearms owners in more than a generation. SSAA NSW always supports tougher penalties on criminals, but we cannot sit idly by while law-abiding citizens are impacted instead. We have reached out across the political divide and it is encouraging to see individual members of parliament wanting to learn more. The journey is far from over but, rest assured, we will continue to advocate for you. As Lance highlights, this is our biggest political engagement for SSAA NSW and we all must stand together. As a former parliamentarian myself, I understand that unintended consequences do occur from time to time. It is easier to fix an issue before it becomes legislation than it is to amend it after a law is passed. Now is the time to act. SSAA NSW has significantly increased its advocacy from years gone by and I can assure you that our collective membership of 58,000 members across the Association does not go unnoticed by the decision makers. As I mentioned earlier, this is the time to increase our membership right across NSW, to bring further weight to our advocacy. FINANCES In his President's report, Lance highlights the need for austerity without impact to member services and that was the first task that was assigned to me as the new CEO in 2019. It was a fact that the previous year saw SSAA NSW post an approximate $300,000 loss whilst receiving significantly more income. Whilst there were good reasons for that to benefit members, it was not a trajectory that could continue in the medium term. When I commenced as CEO, 2019 was on track to post a similar result. I am pleased to report that with careful stewardship by the Board and management, the result for 2019 has markedly improved to an almost break-even point. COVID-19 has hit SSAA NSW finances greatly, with revenue down due to the neccessary cancellation of SHOT Expo. However, with the changes and budgeting measures implemented in 2019 continuing through this year, we are on track to ensure that we weather the storm well. With every dollar saved, we can invest in range development, member services and the ever important increase in advocacy. There is always room for improvement in this space, but SSAA NSW is consistently focused on efficient management of member funds.

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