Year-old pact highlighted in row over Senate negotiations

SENATOR thought he had a deal with the Turnbull Government over firearms. It didn’t happen, and now he’s returning fire.

Senator David Leyonhjelm says he has been dudded by Ministers Dutton and Keenan over the importation of the Adler lever action shot gun.

THE Government last year had a guns-for-votes deal to get a crossbencher to oppose a Labor amendment to legislation.

The agreement with Liberal Democrat David Leyonhjelm is outlined in an email the senator has made public and which the Opposition pounced on today.

At issue was the Adler 110 lever-action shotgun which can be adapted to fire seven shots rapidly.

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten asked Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to explain an August, 2015 email outlining a deal between Senator Leyonhjelm, and Justice Minister Michael Keenan and Immigration Minister Peter Dutton.

A key passage of the email says the Government’s would continue consultation between Minster Keenan and a wide range of key stakeholders, including the shooters’ group.

“In return, Senator Leyonhjelm will vote against the Labor amendments to the Migration Amendment (Strengthening Biometric Integrity) Bill 2015,” said the email.

The senator had a clear price.

The email said the “Government will amend the Customs (Prohibited Imports) Regulations 1956 to insert a sunset clause of 12 months into the recently amended provisions which ban the importation of lever action shot guns with a magazine capacity of more than five rounds.

“The effect of the sunset clause would be that 12 months after this amendment comes into effect the ban will automatically cease to be in place.”

The email in question

The sunset clause was imposed but in August this year classification of the firearm had not been settled so the Government banned it outright.

Senator Leyonhjelm believes he has been “dudded” and says there is a matter of trust between him and the Government. But he has not said there is a deal on the ABCC.

Mr Turnbull told Parliament: “But what that means of course is that ban is permanent, it is set in stone, unless it is amended. But it is there.”

Prime Minister Turnbull had earlier come to Parliament to deny the Government was bartering access to firearms for support for legislation reviving the Australian Building and Construction Commission.

There is no evidence he wanted to water down Australia’s tough firearm laws or retreat from the principles invoked by Liberal Prime Minister John Howard when certain firearms were banned after the Port Arthur massacre.

And it has emerged today the Prime Minister has in fact upset Senator Leyonhjelm by keeping the Adler firearm off the market.

“John Howard’s gun laws are absolutely part of our platform, our policy, our commitment,” Mr Turnbull told Parliament.

“We have not sought to change them. We have not sought to weaken them, neither I might say has Senator Leyonhjelm.”

But Labor claimed the email established the Government was prepared to use gun laws as negotiating tool.

“Horsetrading” on legislation is a frequent practice within Parliament, but Labor front bencher Anthony Albanese said the 2015 example went too far.

“I tell you what you don’t horsetrade over, and that’s Australia’s gun laws,” Mr Albanese told Sky News