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The state’s Police Minister Troy Grant has claimed Member for Orange Phil Donato has “misunderstood” drafted firearms regulations. The Firearms Regulation 2017 bill is out for consultation and last week Mr Donato said the government was pushing for landholders to hand over private information to host hunters. For licensed hunters who aren’t a member of a gun club, regulations require a letter from the property owner or statuary declaration to allow them to hunt on privately-owned land. If passed through parliament, the updated rules will demand that permission be lodged in a new document – “an approved form”, according to Mr Grant – which includes information about the property type and game to be hunted. Last weekend Mr Donato said the proposed changes had “missed the target” and would make it harder for farmers to host vermin and game hunters. Mr Grant said it was the member for Orange who was wide of the mark. “The Member for Orange has misunderstood the regulation,” Mr Grant said. “The proposed change does not constitute any change to the policy or intent of the existing clause – it simply constitutes a change in language.” Mr Grant said the changes are aimed at catering to how future hunting permissions will be provided, especially moving to a digital system. However, Mr Donato said the draft legislation didn’t define what “the approved form” would be, which would lead people to believe it was the one on the NSW Police firearms registry website. “There’s no discussion or consultation in relation to this and you can see by the questions on that form that they are very intrusive and farmers need to provide explicit personal information,” Mr Donato said. “If Mr Grant says that it doesn’t include other permissions [a letter from the property owner or statuary declaration] that’s not stipulated, defined or made clear in the draft regulations.” Mr Donato said the draft legislation did not do enough to counter illegal hunting.

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