I saw some photo's of a senator with some ADF Cadets and noticed she was holding an F88 rifle. My first thought was it's good to see a politician not displaying outright hatred of firearms.
https://www.facebook.com/senatormckenzie/photos/a.588751027861042.1073741827.161756303893852/1463594300376706/?type=3&theaterThen I realised it's in Victoria. Even if it is only a replica firearm, it would be an offence for an unlicenced person to have possession of it except while being supervised at a range. A "training gun" or "blue gun" is not considered a firearm in Victoria as long as you don't modify it. If you decide to paint it to look more realistic it becomes a "replica firearm" and requires licencing and storage as a real firearm of that category - the F88 would require a Collector's Licence, or a Theatrical Armourer's Licence.
Perhaps cadets are classed as "military" personnel and exempt from licencing requirements? (When I was an Army Cadet in the early eighties I was doing drill with deactivated L1A1 rifles (at school!), competing on the small-bore team (at school!), and got to shoot the M16 under supervision at an Army camp. Although I did actually have a firearm licence I was likely the only one there that did, so perhaps we actually were exempt as Cadets.)
But I can't think of any way this senator could legally access this firearm.
I don't think the photos were at an approved range, and I'm guessing that none of the people with her is an RO either.
I'm not having a go at her, it was just something that I noticed and thought if some unlicenced person, perhaps a parent of one of the cadets for example, had posted such a photo on social media, how much trouble it might cause them. My understanding is that Senator Bridget McKenzie is a pro-gun active shooter and thus is licenced to have access to certain classes of firearms, but if this is a real F88 she probably does not have a Cat E licence, or if not real, a Theatrical Armourer's Licence to access replica firearms?
Anybody have any thoughts?