Ross Vasta (Bonner, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I have the great honour of being the patron of many community organisations in the electorate of Bonner and, in particular, I feel privileged to be the patron of the Brisbane branch of the Sporting Shooters Association of Australia. Established in 1948, the association is the premier body representing licensed firearm owners in Australia, with over 120,000 members. The organisation continues to effectively promote the shooting sports and protect the interests of firearm owners.

The local Brisbane club at Belmont has provided great support, and I remain extremely impressed with the way in which the club is operated. I make special note of the former club president and current secretary, Mr Don Ruwoldt, who has shown exceptional leadership and commitment to the club. Former secretary Kay Hutchinson has also been a great asset to the club, and I commend her for all her effort and work.

Since its inception, the club has unfortunately never had a sealed car park. Whilst it hosts many world championships and facilitates training for many law enforcement officers, the club can never attain ‘world-class’ status while it has a gravel car park. Vehicles parked in the area are subject to dust and loose rocks, in addition to the lack of clearly marked parking spaces. This issue has caused frustration among members and visitors for some time now and it is an issue that the club is desperate to address.

As a not-for-profit organisation, the club has extremely limited funds, so a complete refurbishment of the car park is not financially feasible. In response to this, the very recently elected Councillor Adrian Schrinner of Brisbane City Council, the new state member for Chatsworth, Mr Michael Caltabiano, and I have set about trying to rectify this problem. We are writing not only to club members but to members of the wider community, requesting their assistance through donations of bitumen, concrete or drainage, or landscaping skills or any other skills that could help to refurbish the car park.

Queensland Gun Exchange and Leopold Australia have donated two superb rifle scopes. We will assist in advertising a raffle of the scopes, with tickets selling for $10 each and all the proceeds going to the renovation of the car park. This is not the first project on which local council, state and federal members have united and worked together for a community organisation. In fact, many constituents have commented on how refreshing it is to see politicians not arguing but getting on with the job. I thank my local and state colleagues and I look forward to working with them to deliver a successful outcome for the club.

Question agreed to.