Wednesday, 9 September 2026

 Jeff BOURMAN (Eastern Victoria) (14:23): I move:

That this house:

(1)   acknowledges that Shooters, Fishers and Farmers members were first elected in Victoria in 2014;

(2)   recognises that the achievements of the party since then include:

(a) participating in the Select Committee on Victoria’s Recreational Native Bird Hunting Arrangements, which resulted in the continuation of a sustainable duck season;

(b) unlocking public land access to Snake Island for hunting hog deer after nearly a century;

(c) increasing the breeds of hounds for hunting to include bluetick and tan coonhounds;

(d) securing $2.1 million to seal Gifkins Road, Little River;

(e) securing $3 million to meet Environment Protection Authority expectations for the North Wangaratta sports precinct;

(f) securing $1.2 million for a new Southern Peninsula Rescue Squad boat;

(g) playing a pivotal role in the creation of a new authority, Fishing, Hunting and Outdoor Victoria;

(3)   notes that the threat to law-abiding firearm users is growing through the deliberate misunderstanding of shooting, hunting and firearms, and the continuing scare campaign run by those who simply cannot allow any recreation that they do not personally like;

(4)   recognises that countries like New Zealand, England and many other European countries have a more mature understanding of firearm usage and hunting on public land, including the compulsory use of suppressors, compared to those who oppose the same standards and usage here in Victoria; and

(5)   further notes that the re-election of the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party is the only way to ensure the future of firearm ownership in Victoria.

I am going to put on record that this is a fig jam motion, not a valedictory speech. With the recent changes to the electoral laws, the fight to stay here is going to be as difficult as it has ever been. I am not giving up. I am not going away. But now is as good a time as any to put some stuff on the record. I was first elected in 2014 to the 58th Parliament, and initially there were two Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party (SFFP) members elected. It was the first time a party devoted to this type of issue had been elected in this state, despite many trying. It may have been a perfect storm, but it was the right time.

Here is a list of some of the things that the SFFP have managed to achieve over the last 12 years. The shooting sports facilities grants: we urged the government to use funding set aside by the previous government for one location to upgrade many locations. This has been huge for shooting clubs large and small, with important upgrades like disabled and female toilets and general upgrades to many tired facilities. These upgrades have ensured that everyone that wants to participate is able to.

Snake Island: for more than half a century hunting organisations have been trying to get public hunting allowed on Snake Island, but they failed at every turn, even when the coalition was in power. Now there is a ballot system and properly controlled and regulated hunting takes place every year. It gives a unique opportunity on a totally fair basis. Overseas, opportunities like this usually only go to the wealthy, but Snake Island gives a world-class opportunity to ordinary people.

The Sporting Shooters’ Association of Australia Springvale range: we worked with the government to have the lease of the SSAA Springvale range transferred to land ownership for the organisation. We worked with external stakeholders such as the cemeteries trust to make this happen. A small part of the land was held by the cemeteries trust, which is why it was a bit of a strange thing, but we got there. It is the busiest shooting facility in the state and an important hub for training for community groups, disabled shooters, Scouts and so on. It is also the place where I met my now wife in 1997. It is not much of a story, but it is a story.

Securing $3 million for the EPA remediation of the North Wangaratta sports precinct was a local footy club issue that became a gun club issue when the gun club was looking at being forced to shut unless it found a way to afford to clean up the EPA problem. Three million dollars is way too much for a community club to find, but we worked with the government, who stepped in to help. The club is still going. This is about keeping local community groups alive and strong.

We legalised the advertising of firearms for sale online in Victoria. Victoria was the only jurisdiction in Australia that was not allowing the sale of legally held firearms online, subject to standards, and we negotiated with the government to have this legislation passed, despite departmental pushbacks with predictions of blood on the streets. We are about making sure that where you live does not determine your access to a fair market. The internet is the great equaliser.

We tried to pass a private members bill to have firearm silencers – suppressors, whatever you want to call them – legalised in 2018. Both the government and the opposition opposed it. Hiram Maxim invented many things, some of them not so good, like machine guns. But he also invented silencers for rifles and something that most people would not think about: mufflers for cars. They do exactly the same thing; they take a sound and they quieten it. Anyhow, what we tried to do was bring Victoria into line with the rest of the world and improve safety in animal welfare. I could go on for hours about that, but this is a fairly short motion.

Hunters for the Hungry – we are trying to get wasted protein into food for charities. This is hardly a new idea, but we are still going along now, many years down the track, despite passing a motion through this place. Hungry people and food going to waste does not make sense. It is a win–win for the state that only needs political leadership to say, yes, we are not going to waste this resource.

We have had expansion of deer-hunting areas. Along with Snake Island there has been an increase of areas available for recreational hunting, despite ideological opposition. It involves the removal of deer from the environment for free – go figure. It is also back to just giving everyone a fair go. We have a culture of public land hunting that is unequalled in the world, and we need to protect that.

Everyone’s favourite subject – duck hunting. I know it is not everyone’s favourite recreational pastime or whatever you want to call it, but we have advocated tirelessly and constantly for keeping a recreational duck-hunting season and, as such, participated in the inquiry into the season. Despite claims to the contrary, the report was not ignored. Seven of the eight recommendations were supported by the government. It is about meaningful change that puts conservation and sustainability at the centre, not ideology.

Hound hunting – an ancient way of hunting that is tightly controlled here. Since the early 2000s there has been a set number of specific hounds allowed for hound hunting. The hounds need to be of a temperament where they will not just attack the deer, which of course is cruel, but just bail them up. The SFFP managed to get bluetick and black and tan coonhounds added to the list – not a massive change but the first change in decades. After half a century of kicks, this was the first gain for hound hunting in generations.

The Sporting Shooters Association of Australia Victoria owns and operates a rifle range out near Little River called the SSAA Eagle Park Range. This range hosts between 30,000 and 40,000 trips up and down a dirt access road annually. The range is used by recreational shooters of all disciplines and federal and state law enforcement, as well as the occasional private rental by other concerns. It is the pre-eminent range in size and quality in Victoria, if not Australia. The dirt road is an ongoing problem, and the SFFP have managed to secure over $2 million in funding to have that road sealed. This is about ensuring there is safe access to help grow responsible shooting.

What remains clear is that SFFP Victoria are the only party taking action, not just saying one thing and voting another way. If you value your shooting, then you must support us at the next election. Having said that, we are not just about shooting. In 2019 we tried to pass another private members bill to strengthen trespass laws in Victoria after high-profile animal activist invasions of farms with the theft of livestock. The bill was voted down, but the issue remains live. Farmers need actions, not talk.

The puppy farm inquiry – we got a committee referral into the 2016 so-called puppy farm bill. The inquiry demonstrated how legitimate breeders were being thrown under the bus as illegal breeders were not going to comply – it kind of sounds familiar. The inquiry was not about diminishing animal welfare, it was about ensuring a fair go. The final bill did have some changes that took less bark off the legitimate breeders, but it was far from ideal.

A small one, but important to me, is the Olivia’s Place marquee. At Farm World one year Nicole took Becky to the Olivia’s Place marquee for some privacy to feed Bec, and the marquee was showing some severe signs of age. I successfully advocated for the replacement of the marquee. It was small, but as I said, it was important to me, helping mums in my electorate give their kids the best start.

Another one was the Southern Peninsula Rescue Squad (SPRS). They are based in Blairgowrie doing volunteer –

Tom McIntosh: Hear, hear!

Jeff BOURMAN: Thank you, Mr McIntosh. You helped me with that one. They are doing volunteer marine rescue. The SPRS are an all-weather rescue service and as such need a suitable vessel for their actions. After 15 years the vessels must be inspected and they must meet a certain standard, and if the standard is not met for whatever reason, the boat is decommissioned immediately until it is fixed or another boat is procured. The SFFP secured – with Mr McIntosh’s help – $1.2 million for a new vessel. Our waterways are enjoyed by so many Victorians. This will help to make sure that they come home.

Now on to the more general stuff. When I started in 2014, I was naive and thought I would be able to fix what I thought was wrong with the current firearms laws. For those who want to make hysterical accusations, I do not want a free-for-all, but what we have is not logical and is overburdensome. Anyway, it became very clear very quickly that this was an exercise in not losing what we had, as we were always under attack from those wilfully ignorant about what shooting is about. Sure, you may not like hunting, but not all shooting is hunting, and not all hunting is shooting. But if we are obeying laws, then leave us alone. As a group we are checked, vetted and have our safe storage inspected, and as a group we have an extremely low rate of miscreants, far lower than car drivers. Yet none of the antis want to ban cars for the actions of a very few problem drivers. It is an ideological and personal dislike that has been forced upon those that just want to be left alone.

I have been shooting since I was 12. I have been a member of Victoria Police. I have been an IT nerd and I have been a member of this Parliament – and am still a member of this Parliament – but most significantly, I have become a husband and a father, all whilst owning and using legal firearms, and I am not unique, other than the Parliament bit. We are normal, hardworking members of society, and we create so little drag, yet we bear the brunt of governmental failures and activists. Look at the Bondi tragedy, a complete failure of the government, yet the antis dove in. All we want is to be left alone.

Other countries, such as New Zealand and the United Kingdom, have a very different approach to these things despite being from the same Commonwealth. New Zealandhas very strict firearm laws, yet silencers or suppressors are deregulated totally. The UK mandates their use in some places and is making moves to deregulate them too. Why? Because despite the name, they do not silence a hunting rifle; they suppress the noise. As mentioned, I did try and pass a private member’s bill in 2018, but the government and the opposition, the coalition, opposed it. Talk is cheap in this place. Several times I watched a party member say one thing on an issue and vote another way. Recent events around the Firearms Amendment Bill 2026 illustrate that perfectly.

Of course, life happens around us whilst we do this role. Whilst I have been in here my personal life has seen some serious lows followed by some serious highs. The lows include the loss of Matthew, my little boy who was stillborn, now nine years ago, and the loss of my mother-in-law Sima this year. But the high would have to be the arrival of Rebecca on 24 December 2019 and her presentation in this chamber in February 2020.

So after about 160 questions without notice and 128 members statements so far – there is still a week to go – not to mention numerous contributions on various bills, here we are. If this were a valedictory, which it is not, I would thank my staff and notable people. So I am not thanking Norm Dunn, who has been working for me on and off since 2015. As two ex-cops it feels like we are working the van together, and it makes the experience a lot more bearable. Norm has been a friend and a sounding board for the stuff that we deal with here, and whilst I am always right, he occasionally gets one past me and is right too. I am also not thanking Donna Anketell, Thomas Doolin-Birthisel, Michelle and my past team, such as Cath Leask and Mark Oliver. I am not thanking those few friends that I have made here that have made my time more bearable. I am not thanking the staff, such as the Clerk, Deputy Clerk, table office, Hansard, IT – go IT – catering, attendants, security, PSOs and everyone else that makes this place work. I am not thanking my team from the SFFP Victoria, our supporters, volunteers and so on. I am also not thanking Glenn Druery for working his magic in getting me here in the face of serious opposition.

Going back in time, I will also not need to thank Robert Borsak Snr, Robert Brown, Tim Horan, the volunteers we get from New South Wales like Nudge, the Bowlers, Jess Hurley and, more recently, Robert Borsak Jr. I have missed some people, most likely, but I would also not like to thank you for your help. I will also not single out and thank Barry Howlett, now of the Sporting Shooters’ Association of Australia Vic. Barry has been a friend, adviser and mentor through this entire journey. Between Barry and Norm, I have always had friendship, backup and an ongoing reality check, and I have always been the recipient of what I hoped was good-natured banter. And of course, I am not thanking Nicole and Becky for putting up with me, which has not been easy. Nicole, I promise next time I have a brain fart like this and want to get into politics or whatever, I am going to go have a lie down and get over it.

I will thank the Victorian shooting community for their support and contributions along the way. My time here has not been easy for me, as I am not a public kind of person. So, in a way, should my time here end in November this year, I will be content going back to being a PFC, and I will explain that when it will not be in Hansard. I will, however, continue to advocate for my community in a different way. And if I do Bradbury my way back into the 61st Parliament, I want this entire speech expunged.

 Renee HEATH (Eastern Victoria) (14:37): I move:

That debate on this motion be adjourned until later this day.

Motion agreed to and debate adjourned until later this day.