The Albanese Government is currently conducting a ‘loaded’ survey of firearms owners’ attitudes to its proposed gun buyback, with question designed to create a false narrative around the unpopular scheme.
Shooters Union Australia has come out swinging against the survey, after it was contacted by members with serious concerns about the survey, including reports the questions were skewed to elicit pre-determined results, and some apparently completely unrelated to firearms.
“Apparently at least one of the questions related to the respondent’s views on domestic violence,” Shooters Union Australia president Graham Park said.
“Another question asks if a gun owner would support the buyback, even though it might impede them from fully engaging in shooting activities, as it would improve public safety. There’s no option to say ‘I don’t believe the buyback will improve public safety’.
“The entire assumption from the government is that the buyback is a good idea and will improve public safety — despite that not being the case.”
The Department of Home Affairs has commissioned the survey of firearm owners via a third party research firm, Q&A Market Research, and is offering a $30 gift card to those who participate.
Mr Park said it appeared clear the survey was being used to justify the federal Labor Government’s plans to implement a buyback of firearms, despite more than half the states and territories – notably Queensland and the Northern Territory – having explicitly said they were not interested in being involved in the scheme.
“When governments fund the data used to justify their own policies, the results simply cannot be trusted,” Mr Park said.
“How dare the federal government spend our tax money on set-up job surveys by some outsourced company.
“It seems inevitable that in a month or two the federal government is going to come out with the results of a survey allegedly showing shooters are in favour of a buyback or some other nonsense.
“You know that, and they know that too. It’s a giant, steaming crock from beginning to end.”
Mr Park said if that wasn’t bad enough, the survey was also being targeted at firearm dealers and shooters in Queensland — despite the LNP State Government unequivocally refusing to be involved in a buyback scheme or to penalise law-abiding firearms owners for the actions of terrorists.
“Despite our efforts, we’ve been unable to get a copy of the actual survey questions ourselves, which is also concerning, given this is a taxpayer funded exercise,” Mr Park said.
“This whole exercise not only reeks of a managed outcome, but shows the federal government are utterly incapable of admitting they might have gotten something wrong and backing away from it.
“We’ve got farmers out there struggling because they cannot put diesel in their tractors, or afford to pay for the freight to get their produce to markets, and the Albanese Government wants to waste huge sums of taxpayer money asking people if they’re OK with having their agricultural tools and sporting equipment taken off them because it’ll make a bunch of inner-Sydney Labor and Greens voters feel better.”
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