WE DISCUSS the reneging of a commitment by Victoria’s Allan Government to build a badly needed shooting facility after pulling out of the 2026 Commonwealth Games – while proceeding with other sporting facilities.
The government says it has no money. However, this is a facility that had already been budgeted for, and in any case the cost is immaterial in the state’s annual spend of approximately $100b per annum.
To put that in perspective, that’s like asking someone who earns $120k a year to budget for $2.40.
It’s not about money: it’s about political convenience.
MIKE JARRAD is from Target Rifle Victoria, which is the primary smallbore and air rifle shooting organisation in Victoria.
He explains how he, and Shooting Australia, fought to have shooting stay on the Commonwealth Games agenda after the sport was dumped for the Birmingham Commonwealth Games in 2022.
This led to TRV being at the forefront of designing the air gun range facility which could be relocated later on.
WHEN THE GAMES WERE CANCELLED by previous Victorian Premier, Dan Andrews, in 2023, the government made a clear commitment that the promised facilities would still be built.
It’s an announcement that remains on the website of the current Victorian Premier, Jacinta Allan.
THE GOVERNMENT’S POOR UNDERSTANDING of the shooting sports led it to consult the wrong people – which led to the facility being axed.
Instead, TRV is now lobbying to keep the range – and is intent on keeping the pressure up until at least the next Victorian State Election in 2026.
They have raised their concerns with Brad Battin (Liberal Party leader), Sam Groth (Liberal Party sports spokesperson), Steve Dimopolous (Labor’s sports minister), Jeff Bourman (SFFP - and undoubtedly the laziest politician we’ve come across), John Lister (Labor). Trung Luu (Liberal Party), Sen Anne Ruston (Federal – Liberal), Sen Bridget McKenzie (Federal – National Party), Dan Repacholi (Federal – Labor and champion pistol shooter), Jacinta Allan (Labor Vic Premier) and Peter Dutton (Federal – Liberal opposition leader).
TRV has historically been apolitical. As a result, it has been pushed around for the past 100 years, with local and state governments grabbing land for other purposes and never fought back.
This includes a club that specifically catered solely for female shooters that was the first of its type in the world, until closed down by the Liberal Hamer Government in 1975.
THIS IS A “LINE IN THE SAND” issue for TRV, where it now feels it has been forced to push the matter right through to the next state election.
VICTORIA seriously lacks decent shooting facilities of international level. NSW and Qld each have (and will have) proper international facilities, yet Victoria, which has the largest population of ISSF smallbore / air rifle shooters in the nation, has nothing as a result of these land grabs.
POLITICS RELOADED is of the view that the Allan Government must commit to not only build an international quality air range, but a FULL ISSF FACILITY that covers all pistol, rifle and shotgun disciplines under the ISSF banner.
We’re not interested in commitment to look at it or to ‘consider it’, but to have signed contracts in place by this time next year.
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