Hi there PAUL1405...

You're right, it's usually the case where many in our community clamour for tougher sentencing, which by necessity requires more gaols in which to house them. But never in their own backyard it would seem? That said, a large gaol does provide the local community with a certain amount of employment, and the supply of large quantities of consumables, together with other goods and services. And generally speaking, is good for any society that's hard pressed in making a go of things, in tough economic times.

As an aside, I wouldn't mind in the slightest residing near a large maximum security prison. Any escape therefrom, the escapees usually prefer to decamp from the vicinity of the prison as quickly and quietly as possible, in order to make good their 'bolt' from the 'boob'! Take it easy there Paul.

One of the reasons to keep ANZAC range open is the fact that the Government has an obligation to make sure that there are sufficient ranges for shooters to enjoy target shooting and ANZAC is an excellent range,

David Leyonhjelm, seems upset at the prospect of having to face the voters. Being so democratic as he claims to be, you would think he would be happy at the prospect, but no he is angry. Dear Old Dave was thundering how he'll be putting The Greens last! Well that will cost us two preferences, Dave's and Is Mise, although IM might be a Shooters and Hooters voter, I don't think Beach can vote in NSW. The anger has nothing to do with the fact that Dear Old Dave has a snow flakes hope in hell of victory, would it.

Aidan is a bit puzzled: why is everyone so keen to keep the developers away from the land that would have an extremely high value for housing?
Hyde Park in the center of Sydney, a prime example of wasted real estate, lets get Harry Triguboff and his bulldozers in there ASAP.

Beach, your conspiracy theories are baseless rubbish.

Is Mise, since when does the State government have an obligation to make sure that there are sufficient ranges for shooters to enjoy target shooting. The government has no obligation to pander to the 1% of the population so they can get their jollies!
What the government has, is an obligation to provide hospitals, schools etc to satisfy the needs of the majority of its citizens. All the rest is a luxury.
As one of the 99%, I am "pleased" that the developers lost out in relation to the ANZAC Range.

O sung wu, I don't buy the argument from some quarters that it is imperative that the Long Bay Jail site be redeveloped at all cost. As for escapes, most make their get away on a public bus, not over the wall. I kid you not, day release prisoners who generally are having partner problems abscond in the faint hope of sorting it out. I used to go to the jail and buy plants, they had a very good nursery. The men in green used to help old ladies to their car with their purchases. A big vegie garden as well.

No, onthebeach,I don't remain puzzled why parts of Sydney Harbour are not reclaimed to be built on as well. I can see the value of keeping it in something like its natural state (or at least keeping it as a waterway).

But I can't see the value of keeping the shooting range in this particular location (rather than moving it to somewhere around Olympic Park, for example). And I think it would make sense to move the prison to an industrial area further west.

And Paul1405, while I would normally side with the Greens and Xenophon over Leyonhjelm, in this case he has every right to be upset with them. The problem isn't facing the public (even though he's likely to lose his seat), it's the gerrymander they supported in the guise of senate voting reform. Proper senate voting reform would've been welcome, but this new system encourages people to exhaust their preferences rather than letting them flow to minor parties.

Paul1405,

The Greens are attention-seeking hypocrites who ride the 'gun control' bandwagon that aims to disarm western democracies.

That is not firearms regulation at all. It is certainly not targeted at deterring and collaring criminals.

The Greens are serial protesters, unprincipled troublemakers chasing headlines to secure cozy sinecures in parliament for a middle class elite of chard-quaffing, leather seat polishers who wear their hearts on their sleeve for foreign interests and disrespect Australia and Australians.

The Greens showed their colours in Queensland where along with Labor they are scuttling the only effective measure against violent drug-trafficking organised criminals and outlaw motorcycle gangs, the Vicious Lawless Association Disestablishment Act 2013 (VLAD) that was upheld by the High Court of Australia.

As a result, the gangs have moved back into the Gold Coast and SE Qld,

http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/kiwi-crime-gang-mongrel-mob-invades-queensland/news-story/ba32b27e79d9656fd1f2a2b6bf0520d4

and

http://www.goldcoastbulletin.com.au/news/national/bikies-using-luxury-accommodation-to-run-their-criminal-activities/news-story/3b089720aca08e36c90c09156cb46d5b

The Greens are soft on criminals. They are part of the Greens 'disaffected demographic' for votes. So of course the 'rights' of criminals are first priority for the Greens, as evidenced by the Greens' opposition to the successful VLAD law.

On the other hand the Greens have no sympathy at all for victims, the law-abiding public and the many thousands of respectable licensed gun owners who are within that law-abiding public.

Aidan,

All shooting ranges are conservation areas protected by the clubs that manage them.

It has always been that way and long, long before political grubs like the Greens started to throw their weight around, posing as 'green' but actually about far left social change.

Likewise the shooting clubs and ranges have always been non-discriminatory and never regarded that as anything special, just normal.

Here, some photos from a smaller club. The clubs are always open for public inspection and audits.

http://ipswichrifle.qldrifle.com/photo-gallery/

The openness and transparency of Australian shooting clubs and associations is completely the opposite to the highly secretive, overseas sponsored 'gun control' crew the NSW 'Watermelon' Greens quote and are alleged to be in cahoots with.