PRIVATE MEMBERS' BUSINESS
Ms PENFOLD (Lyne) (13:27): I've effectively been guillotined on speaking on this motion. In January, I was guillotined on speaking on the actual legislation. That was disgraceful then, and it is disgraceful of the Selection Committee to only allow a couple of speakers to speak on this important motion.
This motion matters. These are bad laws. Labor thinks every gun owner in Australia is either a terrorist or a potential Martin Bryant.
That is simply not the case. There are millions of Australians who are lawful gun owners who respect the law, the process and the privilege and responsibility of owning and using guns and firearms. Yet Labor wants to silence them all, not attack the problem.
Let's be clear here: guns were not the fundamental problem in December with the horrific antisemitic terrorist attack at Bondi; people were—people motivated by hatred, people embracing violent extremism—along with the failure of a system that was supposed to stop dangerous individuals accessing firearms. The evidence before the royal commission that raised serious questions around existing laws was clear.
As my colleague the member for Parkes said, there has not been any evidence presented that says we need additional laws. The answer to a failure to enforce existing laws is not to punish people who already obey them, but that is exactly what the government has done. I can tell you that people in my electorate, in my gun club—the Taree Wingham SSAA gun club—are angry and mad not just because of the gun laws but because almost everything this Labor government touches is destroying their lives if they're in small business, if they're a retiree, if they're a pensioner.
Labor is chasing Australians down the road for the last $2 in their back pocket. If you're a lawful gun owner, they've got a bigger target on your back with this policy. These are terrible laws.
They should be repealed. I'm very pleased the National Party is standing up for rural people, for hunters, for sporting shooters and for people in small businesses. I've got a gun shop owner, a small business, in my electorate.
He has not sold a gun in three months. He is on his knees. He doesn't deserve this.