SSAA NSW

Sporting Shooters Association of Australia (NSW) Inc. 3 From Diana's Desk Our new NSW Shooter Quarterly Review… Welcome to our new NSW Shooter Quarterly Review which will be circulated in printed form to most of our SSAA NSW members, those who receive the Australian Shooter magazine. As with our monthly NSW Shooter, the Quarterly Review will also be circulated electronically to the members signed up to our email database list and published on the SSAA NSW website. The introduction of the Quarterly Review is in response to feedback received from members through our membership survey and focus groups. Amazingly 90% of the members who responded to the survey indicated that they get their information from the NSW Shooter and the fourth highest ranking SSAA membership benefit is the provision of information. Bearing this in mind, along with the understanding that a significant number of our members are not regular computer users, the Quarterly Review will ensure that our members are kept fully informed on our activities and the issues affecting our sport. SSAA NSW – the ONLY credible voice for our members… We've publicly acknowledged that SSAA NSW aims to maintain positive relationships with all political parties allowing us to act in the best interests of our large membership. Our members see SSAA NSW as a credible political voice representing them and the sport generally – that was the feedback from our membership survey and focus group research. Political representation was the third highest ranking benefit of membership according to two-thirds of the respondents. The general comments that came through also indicated that members wanted SSAA NSW to become more politically active and build direct relationships with politicians, regulators and decision makers. It was also pleasing to see that members in the main are very happy with the progress of SSAA NSW and recognise it as a strong voice working positively and proactively for shooters, the sport and its members. Over the past couple of years we've been working hard to build positive relationships with the Government, its departments and agencies as well as politicians from different parties; those that have an influence on firearms ownership and our sport. SSAA NSW was extremely active in the campaigns to fight against the introduction of the Ammo Bill and for the re-establishment of State Forest hunting. For almost 18 months now we've been working successfully with National Parks & Wildlife Service on the Supplementary Pest Control Program. President Paul McNabb & I have been meeting with many politicians from all parties to put forward the views of SSAA NSW and its members. We've also put great effort into working with the Government and its agencies to establish relationships and this work is constantly paying off with SSAA NSW often asked for input and views on matters and being invited to be part of various forums and committees. Our approach of collaboration and mutual respectful negotiation does not always yield quick or instant results, and whilst it may take longer to achieve tangible outcomes that our members can see, the relationships and achievements are almost always long lasting and beneficial. With the upcoming election, SSAA NSW felt it had a responsibility to ensure that its members were informed on the views and policies of the major political parties, as well as some minor parties, relating to firearms, hunting and shooting sports. To that end we requested meetings with the three major political parties to discuss the issues of importance to our members. All three parties agreed to a meeting, and the outcomes of our discussions with the Liberal and National Parties have been published in this edition of the Quarterly Review. Unfortunately the Opposition Leader Luke Foley cancelled and also declined to provide the Labor Party's views in writing. SSAA NSW also recognises that aligning with one particular organisation is not necessarily in its best interests or that of our members; a view expressed by members in our survey and focus groups. This can become difficult when the position of SSAA NSW differs from that of another organisation who may well be opposed, and therefore working against, a SSAA NSW position. So, it's important for members to understand that SSAA NSW will always act in the best interests of the Association and its members. After all, it is the ONLY credible voice for our members. Tilterweira… In the November edition of the NSW Shooter we published a call for expressions of interest from 50 calibre shooters. We asked members to let us know who wanted access to the 50 calibre range at Tilterweira and was prepared to travel the 2,400 kilometre round trip from Sydney. To date we have received only one response. SSAA NSW is also working on other options. Keep updated… Don't forget, if you're not already on our email list and you want to be kept updated with the latest information from SSAA NSW, email through your request to be added to our list to nswshooter@nsw.ssaa.org.au Diana Melham Executive Director - SSAA (NSW) Inc.

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