I rise this morning to note this government's disturbing and frankly despicable attempts to avoid transparency and to shirk accountability. Trust amongst people in our democracy is at the lowest it has ever been. Democratic satisfaction has actually plummeted in the last decade from 86 per cent in 2007 to just 40 per cent in 2018. I can bet that if we asked the community right now how much they trust democracy in Australia, it would be in freefall thanks to this Liberal-National government.

I move:

That there be laid on the table by the Minister representing the Minister for Health, by 12 pm on 11 February 2020, any emails or any other form of written correspondence between the former Minister, Senator McKenzie, or the former Minister's office, in any of her former capacities, and the Department of Health, or any person working for the Department of Health, concerning either of the following matters surrounding the report 'Economic and social impacts of recreational hunting and shooting', released in September 2019:

(a) the funding of the report; or

Australian Greens Gun Control Spokesperson, Senator Mehreen Faruqi, has commented on reports that Pauline Hanson's One Nation Party has been meeting the National Rifle Assocation and offering to weaken Australia's gun laws in exchange for political donations. 

Senator Faruqi said:

"Reports showing that One Nation was trying to get political donations and support from the National Rifle Association in exchange for weakening gun laws is a dire warning for Australia.

Australian Greens Spokesperson for Gun Control and Senator for NSW, Dr Mehreen Faruqi, has welcomed the Senate voting for her motion reaffirming support for the National Firearms Agreement and rejecting tactics of the gun lobby to weaken our gun laws. The Greens motion was supported by Labor, Senator Hinch, Senator Storer and Centre Alliance and opposed by the Government.

Senator Faruqi said:

"Passing this motion is a welcome sign that the Parliament will not give in to the gun lobby which seeks to water down our successful gun control laws in order to sell more guns. 

The gun lobby's attempts to replicate NRA tactics in Australia are reprehensible and must be rejected. The NRA is a blight on American democracy. The Shooting Industry Foundation of Australia, SIFA, is bankrolled by the gun industry heavyweights, such as Beretta. The gun lobby is becoming increasingly active in election campaigns, with a clear strategy to weaken our gun laws. SIFA contributed $220,000 to a political campaign in Queensland last year and at least $165,000 to a political campaign in Victoria this year. This shouldn't just alarm us; it should terrify us all.

Australian Greens Spokesperson for Gun Control, Senator Mehreen Faruqi and Greens spokesperson for Democracy, Senator Larissa Waters, have reacted to today's reports that the gun lobby is trying to weaken Australia's gun laws and that pro-gun groups have used Ministerial Advisory Panels to lobby against greater gun controls.