17/08/2026
Still in disbelief. Don’t understand how the government can even make this decision.
NSW Fi****ms 'buyback': DONATO SLAMS GOVERNMENT, who will pay cents on the dollar for guns which law-abiding people are being forced to hand over.
The NSW Government’s fi****ms buyback scheme announced over the weekend has raised serious concerns over compensation, the treatment of licensed fi****ms owners and dealers, and nothing to back-up their assertion this program will actually address illegal fi****ms and firearm-related crime.
The scheme is expected to commence on 2 November, with approximately 274,000 fi****ms and 50,000 licence holders expected to be affected.
Independent NSW MP Phil Donato said the announcement represented another major burden being placed on people who had done nothing wrong.
“These are law-abiding people who have complied with the rules, paid their fees, stored their fi****ms properly and followed the law. They are now being told that property they lawfully purchased can be taken from them – in most cases for well below its market value.”
The fixed compensation arrangements are expected to range from approximately $450 for an air rifle to $1,000 for centre-fire fi****ms, with handguns also included in the scheme.
“The government needs to explain how it arrived at these figures. A fixed payment of $450 or $1,000 does not necessarily reflect what these fi****ms are actually worth,” said Mr Donato.
The scheme also provides for some higher-value fi****ms to receive compensation of up to $10,000 each from early next year, however there is scant detail on this proposed phase and there is a massive $2k void between fi****ms valued between $1000 in the first phase, and the $3000+ fi****ms in the second phase!
“What exactly is a ‘higher-value’ firearm? Who decides what it is worth? What valuation methodology will be used, and what right will an owner have to challenge an assessment?”
“These are not minor details. We are talking about people's property and, potentially, thousands of dollars in value,” said Mr Donato.
Dealers face an uncertain future…
The impact on fi****ms dealers is another major concern, with eligible businesses able to apply for grants of up to $25,000.
Phil Donato MP said the proposed assistance was nowhere near sufficient for many businesses.
“A $25,000 grant is simply not an adequate response for a business that may have hundreds of thousands of dollars legitimately invested in stock.”
“These dealers purchased their stock lawfully and operated their businesses within the rules set by government. They should not be left carrying the financial burden of a policy change they did not cause.”
“Some dealers are already struggling. This scheme could push otherwise viable small businesses to the wall, and many will not survive long enough to receive the government’s paltry offer."
“I’ve been lobbying government all year to support these businesses, yet it’s been ignored. The Bondi businesses were given almost immediate financial support, but fi****ms dealers have been thrown on the scrapheap - just like the fi****ms the government will now just pay cents on the dollar for.”
The overall cost of implementing, administering and compensating people under the scheme has been estimated at close to $1 billion!
“Close to $1 billion is a staggering amount of taxpayers’ money,” Donato said.
“Think about what that money could do in regional hospitals, schools, roads, public transport, or essential services.”
“It does not address the real source of the problem.”
“This scheme primarily targets people who are already licensed, registered and operating within the law. Those people are not the ones driving the illegal fi****ms trade.”
“If the objective is to get illegal guns off the streets, then the government should be concentrating on criminals, trafficking networks, illegal imports and the failures that allow prohibited fi****ms to reach the criminal market.”
“Taking fi****ms away from people who have done nothing wrong does not, by itself, solve the problem of criminals possessing illegal fi****ms.”
“The government needs to answer some very basic questions”
Mr Donato said the NSW Government should provide greater transparency before the scheme gets underway.
“People deserve clear answers about how their property is going to be valued, how compensation was calculated and what avenues of appeal will be available.”
“Dealers deserve to know how the government intends to deal with the very real financial consequences for their businesses.”
“And taxpayers rightly deserve to know why they are being asked to spend close to a billion dollars and what measurable result they can expect in return.”
“Law-abiding fi****ms owners should not be treated as the problem simply because the government has decided to change the rules,” Mr Donato said.
ENDS
Media contact:
Brett Cooke 0439 210 396 (Donato advisor)
