Delta Force Paintball and the Australasian Paintball Association (AUPBA) have campaigned the NSW Government and NSW Firearms Division for almost a decade in an effort to instigate positive reform measures to the paintball industry. It is with great excitement that these proposed changes have been approved by Cabinet and are likely to come into full effect by the end of 2018.
The key points from this Cabinet approval include:
- The NSW government has agreed to modernise the regulatory structure and reduce red tape for the paintball industry, while maintaining robust public safety controls.
- The Government intends to introduce legislation in 2018-19 which will give effect to the new regulatory scheme.
- Under the new scheme, responsibility for regulating the industry will transfer from NSW Police to the Department of Finance, Service and Innovation (DFSI). There is expected to be a reduction in the minimum age for players, and streamlining of the permit system. Consumer protection and community safety remain two of the highest priorities for the government and these considerations underpin any legislative changes.
- It will take some time after the legislation passes the NSW Parliament to commence the new regulatory scheme – DFSI will need to put in place to the new IT infrastructure to support the scheme, and venues will need to ensure that public liability insurance, working with children checks and work health and safety systems are updated to prepare for these changes.
- DFSI looks forward to continuing to work with industry during the transition phase.
As part of the consultation process with the Government, Delta Force Paintball was able to demonstrate through 29 years of global experience, that paintball is a safe activity that develops team-building skills and provides a positive and rewarding environment for participants of all ages.
The ACT paintball industry, where the minimum age is 16 years old, is plagued by similar archaic restrictions and Delta Force Paintball and the AUPBA have been working hard to realign the rules and regulations to fall inline with other more forward-thinking states and to now fall inline with the NSW paintball reforms.
It’s an exciting day for paintball advocates and operators across New South Wales and we’re hopeful that this positive change will help instigate positive change to the ACT paintball industry.
The two NSW-based Delta Force Paintball centres are now busily preparing to open their doors to a new, younger market with bespoke paintball playing arenas and customised paintball equipment.
For further details on the NSW paintball reform and minimum age drop, visit the AUPBA press release.
