SHOOTERS PARTY PREFERENCES FAIL TO MAXIMISE SHOOTERS VOTE
The voting strength of sporting shooters will not be maximised in the election because of the failure of the Shooters Party to exchange preferences with the Liberty & Democracy Party (LDP) in the Senate.
"The LDP was under the impression the Shooters Party would be willing to exchange preferences with the LDP. The Shooters Party is a single issue party and the LDP is the only other party in the election with a strong policy in support of gun ownership for sport, hunting, collecting and self defence", said LDP Secretary David Leyonhjelm.
"But that's not the case. In every State in which the Shooters Party is running candidates (NSW, Qld, Victoria and SA), its preferences are going to a host of other parties as well as the Liberal and Labor parties, before they go to the LDP.
"A number of the parties will receive Shooters Party preferences ahead of the LDP that are no friends of shooters", he said.
The Shooters Party has two members in the NSW Parliament but has not contested a federal election for many years. It was automatically deregistered by the Australian Electoral Commission just prior to the 2004 election because it had not contested an election for over four years.
"When it finally enters the federal arena, long overdue, it splits the vote by refusing to preference the only other openly pro-shooting party", said Mr Leyonhjelm.
"By contrast, the LDP has ensured its preferences go to the Shooters Party prior to the major parties in every State. In the unlikely event we are knocked out before the Shooters Party, our preferences stand a good chance of flowing on to the Shooters Party.
" We are not a single issue party and we negotiated preference deals with other minor parties based on common interests and mutual benefit across a whole spectrum of issues. The Shooters Party refused to negotiate with us but we still gave them a favorable position on our ticket in every State. In Queensland, our preferences go first to the Fishing Party and then the Shooters Party. In South Australia they go to the Shooters Party immediately after the Fishing and Lifestyle Party. In Victoria and NSW they go to the Shooters Party well before the major parties.
"About the only thing the Shooters Party did for us was place us ahead of the Greens.
"I realise some Shooters Party officials do not agree with our policies on areas such as gay rights and voluntary euthanasia, but this is ridiculous. They have effectively abandoned any chance of making a difference for shooters in this election. They won't get elected and their votes won't make a difference.
"We urge all sporting shooters who believe in reducing the intrusiveness of the government in our lives, from our social activities to sports such as shooting, to vote LDP.
" I am personally standing in the seat of Bennelong and directing my preferences away from John "I hate guns" Howard. That's likely to do more for shooters rights than anything the Shooters Party is doing in this election", he concluded.