PA HISTORY

The sport of competitive target pistol shooting in Australia was introduced on an organised and formal basis in Tasmania in 1928, followed by South Australia and progressively thereafter by all the other Australian States and Territories.

The requirements of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) saw the introduction in 1956 of the Australian Shooting Association as the national shooting association to enable the Australian Olympic Federation (AOF) to field a shooting team in the Melbourne Olympic Games held in that year.

As the body covering pistol, the ‘Amateur Pistol Shooting Union of Australia’ (APSUA) was Inaugurated on 16 June 1956 and affiliated to ASA as the body representing pistol events. The foundation of our national pistol association came through the joint efforts of George Rogers of Victoria, Bob Morgan of Tasmania and Fred Bott of South Australia who worked tirelessly overcoming many difficulties of that time to achieve this objective.

APSUA was renamed Pistol Australia (PA) in 1991. Pistol Australia adopted the trading name “Target Pistol Australia” in 2024.

TPA TODAY

Today TPA is the premier target pistol shooting organisation in Australia.

Target Pistol Australia (TPA) is the peak sporting body of the administration of the Pistol Shooting sport in Australia. The organisation manages the development pathway to the Olympic / Paralympic sport sector as well as the highperformance pathway for three non-Olympic sports disciplines.

In addition to conducting the annual Australian Pistol Shooting National Championships and events, TPA provides pistol teams through Shooting Australia to the Olympic and Paralympic Games, Commonwealth Games, World Championships, World Cups, and other international target pistol shooting competitions.

TPA also manages their National Teams attending World Championships and other international events in the three non-Olympic Disciplines – Action Pistol, Metallic Silhouette and WA1500. TPA is directly affiliated with the follwoing international bodies

TPA is recognised as a National Sporting Organsiation (NSO) by the Federal Government through Sport Integitry Australia and the National Sports Tribunal.

TPA currently has approximately 20,000 members in its State and Territory Associations, is a non-profit organisation and does not receive funding from the Federal Government.

TPA is responsible for conducting national championships in all ISSF pistol events, the PA Black Powder events, the PA Service Pistol events, the Bianchi events of Action Pistol, IMSSU Metallic Silhouette and WA1500 match events. Its members are represented through Shooting Australia (SA) to the International Shooting Sports Federation (ISSF), the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC), the Australian Commonwealth Games Association (ACGA) and the Australian Sports Commission (ASC).

STRUCTURE

Administration

TPA is administered within the confines of its Constitution and Regulations, which provide for a Board of five officers (President, 1st Vice President, 2nd Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary and Executive Director), who are assigned the responsibility through the staff to oversee the day-to-day running of the organisation. The TPA Constitution also provides for eight (8) National Council Delegates, one from each State and Territory and together with the Board form the National Council.

TPA is located in its own building – Pistol Australia Building – in Deakin ACT where the staff reside.

Not only does the National Council act for the benefit of PA and its members at times of decision making, but it is also the responsibility of State Executive Officers to communicate such decisions to their respective State Affiliates to ensure that TPA members are informed of current issues at all times.

TPA operates within a three-tiered system with each tier maintaining a specific and important role within that structure.

1. Starting at the grass roots, the first level consists of all the individual clubs around Australia who maintain the member base of the organisation. In order to take up the sport of target pistol shooting an individual joins a club and thus becomes part of a close knit community that share a common enthusiasm and enjoyment of the sport. It is the responsibility of the Clubs to communicate with their members and with their respective State/Territory Affiliates who form the next level within the TPA structure.

2. The State/Territory affiliates are directly responsible for all activities on their State/Territory level. The affiliates share a dual responsibility with the clubs in keeping open clear lines of communication about State as well as National issues. If, as an individual TPA member, you have any queries with regard to TPA activities your first point of contact is your Club Secretary and thereafter the State Secretary or Administration Officer.

State/Territory Affiliates:

  • ACT Pistol Association (ACTPA)
  • NSW Amateur Pistol Association (NSWAPA)
  • Pistol Northern Territory (PNT)
  • Pistol Shooting Queensland (PSQ)
  • South Australian Revolver & Pistol Association (SARPA)
  • Tasmanian Pistol Association (TPA)
  • Victorian Amateur Pistol Association(VAPA)
  • West Australian Pistol Association (WAPA)

3. At the National level, TPA is responsible for:

  • Development of rules for the TPA Events (PA Service Pistol, PA Service Pistol Unrestricted, PA Service Pistol 25 Yard, PA 25M Black Powder, PA 50M Black Powder and PA 13-shot Black Powder)
  • The accreditation and implementation of programs for;
    • Coaches at Club, Competition and National levels,
    • Officials at Range Officer, Judge and National Judge levels
  • TPA National Championships and National Club Competition
  • For pistol events, TPA is the conduit in Australia to international competition, World Championships, Oceania Shooting Federation Championships, Olympic Games and Commonwealth Games through its affiliation with SA and the AOC.
  • The TPA Development Squads – ISSF, Action Pistol, Metallic Silhouette and WA1500.

TPA Standing Sub-committees

TPA has two standing sub-committees:

  • National Coaching Committee (NCC). The NCC is responsible for the accreditation of pistol coaches and the development and implementation of coaching programs.
  • National Referee Committee (NRC). The NRC is responsible for the accreditation of Range Officers and Judges, and the development and implementation of rules for competitions.