Former attorney-general Ronald Cornish claims Rene Hidding was against firearm laws

A former attorney-general has fronted a Lower House inquiry examining the state’s firearm laws.

Former Liberal MP Rene Hidding. Picture: RICHARD JUPE

A FORMER attorney-general, who is credited with helping negotiate tougher gun laws in response to the Port Arthur massacre, has alleged retired Liberal MP Rene Hidding was reluctant for the state to sign up to the National Firearms Agreement.

Mr Hidding was behind a controversial Liberal Party policy to change the state’s gun laws that was quietly released ahead of the state election last year.

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Former attorney-general Ron Cornish — who was Mr Hidding’s Rundle government colleague in 1996 — on Friday fronted a Lower House inquiry into Tasmania’s existing gun laws that was initiated in response to the since-dropped election policy.

Mr Cornish helped reform Tasmania’s gun laws after the Port Arthur massacre and on Friday warned committee members against recommending existing legislation be weakened.

“We toughed it out, we did it, and I think [former deputy premier] John Beswick, I told him that was his finest hour … He had a heck of a job to pull this off,” Mr Cornish said.

Former attorney-general Ron Cornish.

But it had not been easy, Mr Cornish said, speaking of the immense pressure MPs faced from interest groups, community members — and their own Liberal Party colleagues.

Mr Hidding and former Liberal MP Tony Benneworth “were not really happy” with the reforms when they were proposed, Mr Cornish said.

“There was intense lobbying, there were letters, there were personal representations, there was a lot of pressure,” Mr Cornish said.

“Even within the parliamentary Liberal Party there was wavering and putting pressure on other members not to do anything and in the end we did.”

Mr Cornish was one of six people to appear before the House of Assembly committee on Friday.

The committee — made up of Liberal MPs John Tucker and Mark Shelton, Greens MP Rosalie Woodruff and Labor MP Shane Broad — must report by September 3.