It has been a big fortnight in Parliament, with plenty of noise from the Government and not much honesty about what actually failed. Robert Borsak and Mark Banasiak spent this sitting fortnight doing what our members expect: pushing back on rushed, fear driven lawmaking, demanding straight answers, and standing up for lawful people in the regions who keep getting blamed for someone else's mistakes.
Bondi: accountability, not scapegoats
Robert Borsak made it clear that the Bondi Beach terrorist attack was a tragedy that should never be exploited to punish the innocent. He rejected the Government's instinct to blame lawful firearms owners and small firearms businesses, arguing they followed the rules and were simply an easy political target when Ministers wanted to look tough.
Robert also demanded accountability where it belongs. He asked why a terrorist was granted a firearms licence, why intelligence warnings were not acted on, and why nobody in the Firearms Registry or the NSW Police chain of command has been held responsible for such a catastrophic failure. Mark Banasiak backed that up in the chamber, pressing the Government on claims of a three-year licensing delay for the terrorist and warning that victims deserve answers, not spin and cover ups.
Watch Robert's speech:
See Mark's contributions and follow up here:
Rushed firearms laws built on panic and fantasy
Mark Banasiak called out the Government's approach as reaction, not reform. His message was simple: if community safety was the real goal, the priority would be fixing administration and governance inside the Firearms Registry, not piling new restrictions on the very people who already comply. He warned that expanding discretion inside a broken culture means more delays, more inconsistency, more livelihoods damaged, and less trust in the system.
Robert Borsak and Mark also went hard on the so called "belt fed shotgun" scare campaign. They argued Parliament was pressured into emergency lawmaking without a single clear example, model, manufacturer, seizure or evidence linking it to Bondi. Robert described it as legislating against an imaginary weapon and asked who briefed the Premier and the Ministers into this mess. The point is not technical trivia. It is whether NSW is making serious law based on evidence, or headlines and talking points.
See our contributions on 'belt-fed' shotguns here: https://youtu.be/693ylGvgtKE
Watch Mark's speech here:
Privacy under threat in the Surveillance Devices changes
Mark Banasiak opposed the Surveillance Devices and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2025, warning it normalises surveillance and turns what was sold as narrow and temporary into broad and permanent. He raised serious concerns about vague "public interest" justifications, weaker safeguards, retrospective legal cover for conduct that was unlawful at the time, and the expanding ability for agencies to rely on surveillance powers without tight limits or independent oversight.
He also highlighted the real-world risk for everyday people, including lawful firearms owners, when more discretion is handed to agencies without fixing decision making culture or accountability. If Parliament keeps being told "trust us", while the rules keep widening, privacy loses, and citizens carry the cost.
See the speech here:
Standing up for regional industries and practical land management
Robert Borsak defended the greyhound racing industry against what he described as relentless ideological attacks. He argued the sector is heavily regulated, overseen by the Greyhound Welfare and Integrity Commission, and full of people who care for their dogs every day. His view was that ongoing vilification does not improve animal welfare and only targets hardworking communities.
Mark Banasiak also spoke strongly against a move to disallow the virtual fencing regulation. He backed the technology as a practical tool for rotational grazing, pasture recovery and keeping cattle out of sensitive areas like creeks and wetlands, while reducing the cost and risks of traditional fencing in floods and fires. The message was that modern farming and animal welfare can go together, and city politics should not sabotage tools that help farmers manage land responsibly.
Watch Robert on greyhounds here: https://youtu.be/wYDXAVkC3QA
View Mark on virtual fencing here:
Feral cats, cultural fishing, and protecting what we own together
Robert Borsak spoke on the Animal Welfare Committee report into cat populations and made the case that feral cats are a devastating threat to native wildlife. He argued that feel good ideas that cannot work at scale keep being recycled while wildlife disappears, and called for serious, proven control measures that reduce predation and protect threatened species.
Mark Banasiak tackled the disaster unfolding in the abalone fishery, arguing the Government has failed for years to properly regulate cultural fishing provisions. He cited evidence raised in budget estimates that more than half the resource is being diverted into the black market, while lawful commercial fishers face strict rules and shrinking options. His call was straightforward: either finish the job with a real framework and enforceable limits or admit the Government has lost control and stop punishing those who followed the rules.
See Robert's feral cat contribution here:
Watch Mark on abalone and cultural fishing here:
This fortnight showed exactly why your support matters. When the pressure is on, Robert Borsak and Mark Banasiak are the ones asking the hard questions, defending lawful citizens from lazy crackdowns, and pushing for reforms that actually fix broken systems instead of pretending. If government wants trust, it needs accountability first, and we will keep forcing that conversation every time they try to dodge it.
Thank you for your continued support!
