Mark Ryan’s got a problem: he can’t accept that people didn’t vote Labor as much as he’d like
Queensland Labor went to the last election and got one of the lowest primary votes in history. Minor, pro-firearms, parties took over a hundred thousand votes and lots of electoral funding with it, as we described here:
Police Minister Mark Ryan holds the safe Labor seat of Morayfield. In 2015, he got 51% of the first pref vote and LNP got 33%. This time, Ryan got 46%, One Nation’s Rodney Hansen got 25% and the LNP got 20%. This represents a staggering shift in electoral funding away from the major parties and towards One Nation.
When you can’t accept reality you do sick things, like Mark Ryan did in the Queensland Parliament today.
“Shooters didn’t give money to Labor” *tears*
Mark’s press release today was positively histrionic:
Mr Ryan said Queenslanders should be very concerned that the LNP is taking donations from the pro-gun lobby.
The Minister tabled documents to Queensland Parliament today revealing donations to the LNP from entities associated with the pro-gun lobby, including an organisation whose stated aim is to undermine stable majority government by forcing by-elections and defections.
“I have three questions for the LNP,” Mr Ryan said.
“Does the Opposition Leader agree with her Deputy that police have too much say on gun legislation?
“What did the LNP discuss when they met with the Shooters Union at the last Parliament sitting?
“Who from the LNP met with the Shooters Union at the last Parliament sitting?”
Mark tabled documents about electoral funding. Yes Mark, shooters didn’t give money to Labor. It’s a Jackie Tradgedy. Farmers and sporting shooters rightly regard you and your government as raving idiots who would ban all firearms if you could, just to pickup some green votes in Jackie’s electorate of South Brisbane.
Have you forgotten that you had closed meetings with Shooters Union?
Mark Ryan has forgotten that he had his own closed meetings with Shooters Union in 2017. Mark’s own Ministerial Diaries (available here) record:
17 March 2017 David Brown, Vice President of the Shooters Union + ministerial staff
Where were other shooting groups? Where was Weapons Licensing? Where were the anti-gun lobby groups? They weren’t at that meeting, Mark. This is the same sort of closed meeting you’re accusing the LNP of having with Shooters Union. If it’s such a naughty bad thing, why did you do it yourself? Were you still trying to woo shooters back then?
This is all about money $$$$$
Mark’s stunt is about money. It’s about the money he wishes Labor had. It’s also about the votes Labor wishes they had (which equals electoral funding, so we’re back to money).
Poor old Mark and Jackie just have to learn the hard way: shooters won’t vote for you or donate to you if you’re anti-gun.
Maybe they could take a lesson from the Liberals in Tasmania last week.
Hansard from today
https://www.parliament.qld.gov.au/documents/hansard/2018/2018_03_08_DAILY.pdf
National Firearms Agreement
Ms LINARD: My question is to the Minister for Police and Minister for Corrective Services and I
ask: given recent commentary about gun laws after the tragic mass shooting in the United States, will
the minister please update the House on the Queensland government’s commitment to former Prime
Minister John Howard’s National Firearms Agreement?
Mr RYAN: I thank the member for Nudgee for raising this very important issue. Let us make one
thing very, very clear: the Labor government in Queensland will never support a weakening of our gun
laws. John Howard’s National Firearms Agreement has made Australia a safer place and Queensland
a safer place. We make no apologies for having strong gun laws here in Queensland. We make no
apologies for ensuring our police have the resources and the laws they need to ensure that Queensland
does remain a safer place.
I am very pleased to report to the House that a recent police operation, Operation Quebec
Camouflage, ensured that police were able to remove more than 1,000 illegal firearms from our streets.
That operation has made Queensland a safer place. This tough stance is in stark contrast to those
opposite. I am sure many Queenslanders would be concerned if those opposite were receiving
donations from the pro gun lobby. They would be terrified. It is dangerous to have the pro gun lobby
influencing political party policy.
Mr Hart interjected.
Mr RYAN: I am sure Queenslanders would be terrified about that and I am sure they would be
demanding the member for Nanango take moral leadership on this and stop the LNP receiving any
donations. We know they like to keep their donations secret but I have found the smoking gun: in AEC
and ECQ returns thousands of dollars being handed to the LNP in entities associated with the pro gun
lobby. The people of Queensland would demand moral leadership from those opposite. They would
demand them to stand up to vested interests.
Opposition members interjected.
Mr SPEAKER: Pause the clock. Member for Chatsworth, member for Toowoomba South and
member for Burleigh, I have heard continued interjections. You were not interjecting then, but this is a
summary, member for Burleigh. If you do not want to be on the list every day, member for Glass House,
you should also cease the constant interjections.
Mr RYAN: I am happy to table the returns. They are quite public documents.
Tabled paper: Document titled ‘Donor to political party disclosure return—Organisations: Financial year 2015-16’.
Tabled paper: Document titled ‘ECQ: Disclosed gifts’.
One of the entities that has actually made donations to the LNP is an organisation called the
Shooting Industry Foundation. Their stated aim is to undermine stable majority government in
Queensland by forcing by-elections and defections so that they can get their pro gun policy up. This is
an entity which the LNP has received donations from. Is this any surprise? Just like the conservative
politicians in the United States, the LNP is gutless on gun control. We saw them take a policy to the
election last year that would weaken handgun laws.
Mr POWELL: Mr Speaker, I rise to a point of order. I understand the member has used
unparliamentary language.
Mr SPEAKER: My advice previously has been that language is unparliamentary particularly
when it is directed at a member personally and not a broad grouping. However, I ask the minister to be
very careful with his language.
Mr RYAN: They took a policy to the election that would weaken handgun laws and the member
for Everton is on the record saying that he would interfere in police operational decisions when it comes
to weapons licensing.
(Time expired)