Duncan Spender (NSW, Liberal Democratic Party) Share this | Hansard source

This is not my first speech. This motion relates to the National Firearms Agreement. I can understand the widespread opinion that the National Firearms Agreement, known as the NFA, should be supported, but this motion goes beyond an expression of opinion. It asserts that the National Firearms Agreement has demonstrably made Australia safer. This is an empirical claim that is at odds with expert analysis.

I quote Dr Andrew Leigh, Labor's shadow Assistant Treasurer, who, before becoming a politician, was one of Australia's finest economists and statisticians. Dr Leigh wrote:

… time series analysis cannot conclusively answer the question of whether the NFA led to lower gun deaths.

Senators are not here to follow groupthink. We should not say things that are 'truthy' or things that we feel should be right. We should show some leadership, which means being willing to state the uncomfortable truth. Whilst I reiterate the widespread opinion that the NFA should be supported, this motion goes beyond that. It says that it has demonstrably made Australia safer, and that is at odds with that quote from Dr Andrew Leigh. Let's have a commitment to truth in this chamber.