What We Believe

The Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party believes that centralised, city-based Government decision making has led to poor outcomes for regional and rural NSW for far too long.

Governments that pander to inner-urban lobby groups often do so at the expense of rural and regional economies. Regional NSW then loses productivity and essential community services such as health, education, banking and public transport all suffer.

The Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party believes regional and rural economic decline in NSW must be urgently addressed and reversed through a concerted policy of increased rural and regional development.

The Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party also believes that this city-centric bias has created a society detached from real life. Outdoor activities and normal risk-taking as part of the normal growing up experience of childhood, are now largely banned. Today's young people are increasingly over-protected, and time in the outdoors in contact with nature is rapidly diminishing and actively discouraged. The unique benefits of outdoor recreational activity promote not just physical, but also mental wellness, and also develops confidence, responsibility, discipline, and self-reliance.

Everyone in NSW deserves a fair go from Government and equitable access to services whether they live in a major city or remote rural community. Government services, wherever possible, should be decentralised to provide economic stimulus and employment opportunity to regional NSW. We will support moving away from centralised, city-based Government decision making to regional-inclusive decision making where regional stakeholders’ views will be heard and taken into account.

Sadly NSW has become "The Nanny-state", where "Sydney knows best".

Our Action Plan

Hunting and fishing culture
Ensure that the cultural heritage of hunting and fishing are acknowledged by the NSW Government, and calling on the NSW Department of Education and Training to formally recognise these as ‘appropriate’ cultural activities and sports for all public schools.

Youth
We commend and support youth initiatives that emphasise self-reliance, self-discipline, and an understanding of obligations to family and society. A healthy involvement with the natural world will engender these attributes in our youth. We will call on the government to provide increased funding to assist, encourage and facilitate outdoor recreational activity, particularly hunting, fishing and camping.

Individual rights
We accept that the advancement and development of the individual are paramount, and that no law should restrict or hinder those rights, unless the exercise of those rights directly interferes with the rights of others. To that end, we assert that the government is the servant of people, and we will oppose all forms of interventionist government. Any law which has no demonstrable benefit, should be repealed.

Violence
We oppose undue emphasis on violence in television, film and video. While recognising the right of individuals to watch what they choose, the Party believes the level of emphasis on violence in visual material is linked to increased violence in our community.

Personal safety
The Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party asserts the right of the law-abiding citizen to protect self, family and property, and to use such force as is necessary to that end. Women and older Australians are particularly vulnerable and deserve the right to protect themselves without civil liability. We will build on the success of the first Party representative, Hon John Tingle, who successfully introduced the Home Invasion Bill and the Workplace (Occupants Protection) Bill.

Law and order
The community expects truth in sentencing and mandatory minimum sentencing subject to adequate parole rules and policing. We will introduce legislation to enforce mandatory minimum sentences for crimes committed involving the use of a weapon, to be served consecutively, not concurrently.

Industrial relations
We support the right of workers to choose to belong, or not belong, to a union or an employee’s association and that workers be entitled to the right to collectively bargain. We will continue to engage with reputable unions and workers associations to ensure that their voice is heard.

Supporting TAFE
TAFE is a place for students to learn a trade or profession without putting themselves in a huge debt. The TAFE system has to be remain relevant, it offers significant economic and social stimulus to regional communities. We support the development and expansion of the TAFE system and will oppose any cuts in funding.

Health
We will continue to support retaining and increasing nursing staff in the health system by attracting young people into this critical sector, where infrastructure is under-utilised because of nursing shortages. We will also call for greater funding to regional communities to deal with mental health issues.

Workers compensation
We remain committed to fair and equitable outcomes for injured workers and their families. All too often, the government have turned a blind eye to the shortcomings of the current model in which the ‘independence’ of approved medical personal and rehabilitation officers has failed workers.

Drugs and harm minimisation
The Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party believes that harm minimisation without compulsory rehabilitation is a failed strategy. We will seek increased education and information about the harmful effects of drugs together with police powers to deal with offensive and violent behaviour.

Road safety
The historical reliance on revenue from fines and the demerit points system has not markedly improved road amenity or efficiency. Increased emphasis on personal responsibility is needed to address these issues, together with a review of penalty effectiveness in suspending licenses. Learner driving requirements present insurmountable obstacles for many young people in rural areas. We will seek a review into of the mandatory requirements for rural learner drivers.

Older Australians
Older Australians on a fixed income get a raw deal from governments. They deserve the right to a fair and decent standard of living and ready access to local services specific to their needs for free or at least at an affordable level. We will seek a review and overhaul of current concessions available to older Australians in NSW.

Promote industry and infrastructure
We will work to expand and upgrade rural water, rail, roads, and ports and the TAFE networks to develop the skills necessary among NSW residents especially in regional NSW. We will call on the State and Local Government to provide sufficient education opportunities needed to replace an ageing workforce. Rural communities need this growth.

Public assets
The Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party will support the retention of strategic public assets in publicly owned hands where they can continue to provide regional employment and financial dividends to be contain, and wherever possible, to reduce costs to consumers.

Food and fuel costs
We are concerned by the concentration of market power in the grocery and fuel sectors, two of the basics of family life. We will call for increased powers under NSW fair trading laws to incorporate anti-trust provisions.

Animal welfare
We support all reasonable efforts to improve animal welfare. Unfortunately, animal welfare policy in NSW has become distorted by animal rights ideology. We believe compliance for animal welfare issues should be returned to accountable Government authorities.

Literacy rates
We will support Government actions and programs that will increase literacy rates amongst young people, especially indigenous peoples.

Greyhounds
The greyhound industry provides enormous economic benefits to NSW, particularly to regional communities, but has been riddled with animal welfare issues and subsidy failures for too long. We will support and introduce measure to get this industry back on its feet and believe in the long term viability of greyhound racing sports.

Fireworks
Celebrating key events with fireworks is a traditional Australian activity that has been taken away by overzealous bureaucrats of the ‘Nanny-State’. We will campaign for fireworks to be accessible by responsible citizens for use on appropriate sites, without undue red tape, including licensing requirements and huge fees.

What This Means For You

The Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party commits to implementing a thorough review of the overly-centralised Government services in NSW. We commit to injecting some common sense into our ‘Nanny-State’ Government.

We advocate that staffing levels of NSW Government agencies that primarily focus on regional service delivery are adjusted to reflect that regional focus.

We commit to supporting expansion of programs that provide opportunities for young people to connect with nature and enhance their personal development. We will work tirelessly to ensure that rural and regional communities get a 'fair go' from NSW Government agencies.