Delta Force Paintball is pleased to announce new legislation passed today by the NSW State Government including the reduction of the paintball minimum age. NSW Paintball industry reform has been approved by parliament with new standards and regulations to come into effect at a date to be released shortly. The Australasian Paintball Association (AUPBA), along with key paintball industry stakeholders, have worked towards these amendments for the last 10 years and we are excited to play our part in ushering in a new era for the sport.
Paintball Minimum Age Reduction
Changes include the much-anticipated reduction in the paintball minimum age in NSW from 16 years down to 12 years. This brings NSW more in line with the majority of the world with the US, UK, New Zealand, Europe and Canada all having an age limit of 10 years; and other Australian states like South Australia (10 years) and Western Australia (12 years). Families will now have a fun and inclusive activity to enjoy together in the great outdoors. Bonding, adrenaline, team work and physical activity all rolled into one action-packed and exciting session.
Change Has Arrived
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.
We will keep you updated on the imminent announcement of the date this legislation will come into effect which we expect to be on 1 July 2019.
More details available via the AUPBA Press Release.
