Robert Brown

Hi Penguin. Thanks for the vote of confidence. Not as simple as that ("joining" with TFP). A full "quota" in this last election was about 173,000+ votes. If TSP and TFP had co-listed, then a combined 106,000 TSP + 60,000 TFP would still only yield the one seat. All that would happen is a change in the ORDER of election the last few candidates. The Shooters Party goal is to achieve that full quota by 2011, and then move on to tra to match the Greens by adding another full or part quota to deliver two members in the 2015 election. Long way out you say? Yes it is.... but we are in a WAR with Green ideology, and that will be a long hard fight. TSP has weathered the storm since 1992, been elected now three times out of four ( the "tablecloth ballot sheet screwed us in'99), and we'll be there in another twelve years time. The reason why TSP wants to increase its vote to a full quota, is that a full quota guarantees you a seat at every election. With a partial quota ( even a healthy one like we have just achieved), there is always a risk that someone "unwelcome" may sneak in. As an example, the Australian Democrats ( their member almost always voted with The Greens) only narrowly lost out to the eighth L/NP candidate ( who was elected on the L/NP "left over" partial quota). Over the next four years, TSP will do its best to help and protect anglers as well as shooters ( and foresters/farmers/4WDers, and hundreds of other groups that have had their lifestyles or livelihoods affected by extreme Green politics). If the SP does a good job, and we do get some "wins" for these groups from the Government, then we hope that the SP vote will increase accordingly in 2011. The reality is that smaller parties will have to "get up" on a primary vote of about 90,000+ as a general rule (ie., preferences play a much reduced role now). TSP is big enough, and has enough resources State wide to meet that challenge. The key message out of this election is that The Greens DO NOT have the balance of power in the Upper House any longer. Mind you, they will still be a danger to hunters. anglers and all the other sustainable users for a long time to come. I personally think that perhaps they have reached a plateau ? . The Federal Election will be an interesting test. Regards, Robert Brown ( MLC and Chairman TSP)

Hi guys, the results were declared at Riverwood this morning. Roy Smith for The Shooters Party was elected No.20, with the last Nat picking up no. 21 spot. The mix will now be: Labor 19 ( with one probably taken out to be President) L/NP 15 Greens 4 Christian Dems 2 Shooters 2 So Lee Rhiannon and her green idealogues may not get their own way all the time. Let's see if we can stop/slow/reverse some of the Marine Crap Sanctuary Zone crap. Regards, Robert Brown

Hi Steve... I do believe I heard an artichoke squeal once..... Robert

Don't laugh too loud boys. PETA has just set up in Australia. Voiceless has about $1m pa to use against all animal ( and fish) users. Sort of reminds me of 1993.... ban on duck hunting in WA, 1995.... ban on duck hunting in NSW, 2006.... ban on duck hunting in QLD. All on the basis of cruelty. Don't forget, just prior to the intro of fishing licences, HSI International were all set to mount a case under POCTA ( Prevention of Cruelty to Animals), against the young lady from Bermagui that set a new light line record for Marlin. They didn't go ahead.... but the thought was there. For a number of years I sat on the Government's AWAC ( Animal Welfare Advisory Committee) as a hunting representative. I guess the isssue of "fish feel pain" probably came up on at least a dozen occasions. They operate ( AWAC) in every state... and at aFederal level These Animal Lib wackos are just as dedicated as you - probably more so. They sometimes use petrol bombs to make their point. Ignore their creeping influence at your collective peril. Robert

Hi Robbie, Robert Brown here. the Administrators have let me in, so perhaps I can offer some insight. At each State election, there are 21 Legislative Council ( Upper House) seats up for grabs. This time around, the continuing members are; Labor 10; L/NP 7; Greens 2, CDP 1, TSP 1 ( me). At the close of counting yesterday, and if the percentages stay fairly stable, then I predict the following... Labor 9 ( +10 = 19) L/NP 8 ( +7 = 15) Green 2 ( +2 = 4) Christian DP 1 ( + 1= 2) TSP 1 ( +1 =2) The Labor Party, being in Government will most likely have a Labor person appointed as President of the Legislative Council (called The Speaker in the Lower House). That will bring the votes on the floor of the LC to 18 vs 15, with 4x Greens (the Darksiders) vs. four of "us". The only dark cloud on this is either Labor or L/NP not getting 19 or 15 respectively, which will probably mean the last seat going to the Australian Democrats ( Arthur Chesterfield-Evans). He has ALWAYS voted with the Greens. If both majors fall short, then the AAFI candidate ( of whom I know nothing) may get elected. A factor in all of these guesses ( and that's all they are) is the number/% of preferences cast by the voters on their ballot sheets. In 2003, it was only 67,000 or 1.7%. So 98%+ of voters simply voted above the line and then got out of the booth as quickly as possible. Because both Labor and the Liberal Party seem a tad unpopular, then this trend may increase. I've seen a lot of "heat" on this forum and others about TSP supporting fishermen. If you guys want to look at where I stand, go and have a look at Hansard (by Member), and read my maiden speech (June 2006 I think). I guess most of you ( like most shooters, 4WDers, etc.) aren't really interested in politics for 3.75 out of every four years, so it will be interesting to see where all of this leads in the early months of 2011. I guess also that my track record will just have to stand on its own at that time. In the mean time, and irrespective of how the balance in the Upper House pans out, I will try to protect your "common" interests. Thanks for letting me contribute, this is a very professional site. Robert Brown.