The Shooters and Fishers Party in New South Wales has applied to change its name to the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party, saying it feels there is "no major political force actively working for farmers".

In a statement released today the party said it was increasingly championing rural and regional issues.

"Farmers, like shooters and fishers, have been largely neglected and oppressed by the major parties and the Greens," the statement said.

"This change to the name of the party is reflective of our evolving advocacy and campaigning for the farming sector.

"We have championed for many rural and regional-based issues, including native vegetation laws, water restrictions ... coal seam gas and absolute private property rights."

Shooters and Fishers Upper House MP Robert Borsak acknowledged the move was also prompted by the Federal Government's proposed changes to the Senate voting system, which would disadvantage them and other minor parties.

"There seems to be a mood out there amongst the major parties to remove any possibility of minor and micro parties getting any real representation at all in Parliament, it's antidemocratic," Mr Borsak said.

"The Liberal Party and the National Party, at the federal level, are going to get in bed with the Greens, you've got to start saying to yourself: 'well someone needs to stand up for the bush, someone needs to stand up for the right side of politics', the Shooters and Fishers Party is prepared to do that."

Mr Borsak said he expected the move could anger the National Party, which traditionally painted itself as the advocate of farmers and regional communities.

"It may well do, but at the end of the day if they were covering their bases, delivering for farmers we wouldn't have any political purchase when it comes to these matters," he said.

The trouble is once they get the white cars and positions the Cabinet solidarity fires in, they're the tail that wags on the Liberal Party dog."

NSW Nationals 'happy to be judged by results'

The party has applied to the New South Wales Electoral Commission to change the name and said it was unaware of any reasons that should preclude it from doing so.

But the leader of the NSW Nationals, Deputy Premier Troy Grant, said regional communities would not be fooled by the rebrand.

"In this world we've got pretenders and we've got contenders," he said.

He said the Nationals were still excellent representatives for their regional constituents.

"I'm always happy to be judged by results and in the last five years regional New South Wales has turned around," Mr Grant said.

"It's not because someone has put a different title in their name, it's because we've brought substantive economic policy and and rigour to the investment of a region that was forgotten and neglected for 16 years."


http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-02-24/shooters-and-fishers-party-changing-name-to-include-farmers/7195790

Very scary headline.

Quote:

Mr Borsak said he expected the [renaming] could anger the National Party, which traditionally painted itself as the advocate of farmers and regional communities. "It may well do, but at the end of the day if they were covering their bases, delivering for farmers we wouldn't have any political purchase when it comes to these matters," he said. The trouble is once they get the white cars and positions the Cabinet solidarity fires in, they're the tail that wags on the Liberal Party dog."

Got it in one. The Nationals are just Liberals wearing hats for the rural cred.

Famers have a legal obligation under the Rural Lands Protection act 1998 to eradicate feral pests by any lawful method.

The Hoplophobic greens want to take the semi auto rimfires away from farmers which Howard allowed them to have after Vic police minister Bill Mcgrath said they needed them to put animals down like he had to in the 1982 drought.

The Greens want to take guns away and force people to poison everything with 1080 which causes a slow horrible inhumane death.

What do the Greens do for farmers is it zip zero zilch, our farmers being forbidden to cut down any trees are the only reason why Australia is in compliance with our Kyoto obligations, the entire burden of Kyoto was placed with our farmers the inner city greens do squat.

The greens do nothing for farmers, they want to shut down live exports because of halal slaughter, they punish our farmers instead of speaking up on ancient barbaric beliefs.

farmerassist.com.au

lee wrote on Feb 28^th, 2016 at 11:13am:

Very scary headline.

Typical of greenswine, if he knows people are basically fed up reading his 'boring' and inaccurate posts, he tries to encourage interest by using a totally and sensationally false title to the thread.

Whats that crew of rabble called that complete the Libtards ?

There are a lot more fishermen around than farmers. This party just has trouble courting them with their self destructive policies.

freediver wrote on Feb 28^th, 2016 at 8:21pm:

There are a lot more fishermen around than farmers. This party just has trouble courting them with their self destructive policies.

How many fisherman are also farmers, freediver?  You implicitly suggest you know.

Of course I know. But I am not telling.

Unless you're talking about professionals, most fishermen (and shooters) don't identify themselves as such, unlike most farmers. They are fundamentally different activities.

As to the use of guns in agriculture, yes, it is necessary, and reflected as such in current legislation. As is right and just.