Combined Firearms Council of Victoria

Some of the Greens MPs we have to put up with in Victoria (Altered image)

Imagine if the Greens held the balance of Power in the Victorian upper house of our state parliament.   Or in the lower house.  Or both.

The damage they could do would be significant.   All types of hunting would be under immediate threat. Owning a handgun could become a thing of the past and you can forget about owning a rifle scope.

You would need a psychiatrist’s certificate to obtain licence – the cost of which the government could set at (say) $1,500 a year.

However there is something you can do about it – and it’s easy to do.

The risk of the Greens gaining the balance of power in one or both houses of parliament is real.

A few days ago, the Age ran an article where the Green’s leader, Greg Barber, indicated his intention to quit his safe upper house seat to run in the lower house.

This is what he said, in his own words:

“We are in balance of power in the upper house. At the next state election in 2018, we can win balance of power in the lower house, in fact we are only a few thousand votes short of that aim,”

Barber’s right.

In Victoria, the Greens have five MPs in the upper house and two in the lower house – seven in all. The article identified three lower house seats within reach of the Greens, which, if our worst nightmare eventuated, would give them five seats in each house.

It’s not a threat we face for just the next four years. It’s a threat we could face for the next 20.

The Greens have shown what they can do. They’ve already secured millions of your dollars to deal with climate change issues, policies which have put significant pressure on the timber industry among others.

Restricting gun ownership would simply be another notch they need to get in their belt.

The Greens primary vote

Minor parties – including those which support the shooting sports – play an important role. However the sad reality is that whether they get elected will often depend on getting good preference flows.

In contrast, the Greens primary vote in some seats is very strong and does not show any signs of slowing up.

At the last state election, Greg Barber a full quota (which enabled him to get elected) on his primary vote alone. He didn’t need preferences.

Getting the information you need

It’s important that you can get the information you need when you vote at next year’s state election.

It’s our job to help you get that information to you.  That way, you’ll know who is safe and not safe to vote for.

We have a clear election strategy.  We not only look at the individual candidates (and what they have or can do for shooters), but where their preferences flow and turn this into voting recommendations to deliver the best possible outcome for the shooting community.  It’s a complicated business, but we make it easy for you and your mates to know who to support.  This approach has stopped the Greens before, and with your help, we’ll be able to stop them again.

All we need you to do – at this stage – is to:

• be aware of the threat (which you are by reading this blog);
• make sure you’re on our email list if you aren’t already (which you can do by clicking here); and
• make sure your mates vote the right way at the next election.

If you’re a member of a club or association and would like someone from the CFCV to come along to give a short presentation or speech on this, then let us know by email at admin@firearmscouncil.org.au and we’ll do the rest.

We’ve got a year and half to go before the next election, and we’re determined to make sure shooting does not become a casualty of bad preferences or ignorance about what the Greens stand for.