diff --git a/src/conf/virnwfilterobj.c b/src/conf/virnwfilterobj.c
index 28425ba753..2a060fb851 100644
--- a/src/conf/virnwfilterobj.c
+++ b/src/conf/virnwfilterobj.c
@@ -42,6 +42,11 @@ struct _virNWFilterObj {
     virNWFilterDefPtr newDef;
 };
 
+struct _virNWFilterObjList {
+    size_t count;
+    virNWFilterObjPtr *objs;
+};
+
 
 static virNWFilterObjPtr
 virNWFilterObjNew(void)
@@ -105,8 +110,18 @@ virNWFilterObjListFree(virNWFilterObjListPtr nwfilters)
     size_t i;
     for (i = 0; i < nwfilters->count; i++)
         virNWFilterObjFree(nwfilters->objs[i]);
-    VIR_FREE(nwfilters->objs);
-    nwfilters->count = 0;
+    VIR_FREE(nwfilters);
+}
+
+
+virNWFilterObjListPtr
+virNWFilterObjListNew(void)
+{
+    virNWFilterObjListPtr nwfilters;
+
+    if (VIR_ALLOC(nwfilters) < 0)
+        return NULL;
+    return nwfilters;
 }
 
 
diff --git a/src/conf/virnwfilterobj.h b/src/conf/virnwfilterobj.h
index 4c1922329d..29d9086535 100644
--- a/src/conf/virnwfilterobj.h
+++ b/src/conf/virnwfilterobj.h
@@ -28,11 +28,6 @@ typedef virNWFilterObj *virNWFilterObjPtr;
 
 typedef struct _virNWFilterObjList virNWFilterObjList;
 typedef virNWFilterObjList *virNWFilterObjListPtr;
-struct _virNWFilterObjList {
-    size_t count;
-    virNWFilterObjPtr *objs;
-};
-
 
 typedef struct _virNWFilterDriverState virNWFilterDriverState;
 typedef virNWFilterDriverState *virNWFilterDriverStatePtr;
@@ -40,7 +35,7 @@ struct _virNWFilterDriverState {
     virMutex lock;
     bool privileged;
 
-    virNWFilterObjList nwfilters;
+    virNWFilterObjListPtr nwfilters;
 
     char *configDir;
     bool watchingFirewallD;
@@ -55,6 +50,9 @@ virNWFilterObjGetNewDef(virNWFilterObjPtr obj);
 bool
 virNWFilterObjWantRemoved(virNWFilterObjPtr obj);
 
+virNWFilterObjListPtr
+virNWFilterObjListNew(void);
+
 void
 virNWFilterObjListFree(virNWFilterObjListPtr nwfilters);
 
diff --git a/src/libvirt_private.syms b/src/libvirt_private.syms
index 453d0fe717..13f2ab94da 100644
--- a/src/libvirt_private.syms
+++ b/src/libvirt_private.syms
@@ -971,6 +971,7 @@ virNWFilterObjListFindByUUID;
 virNWFilterObjListFree;
 virNWFilterObjListGetNames;
 virNWFilterObjListLoadAllConfigs;
+virNWFilterObjListNew;
 virNWFilterObjListNumOfNWFilters;
 virNWFilterObjListRemove;
 virNWFilterObjLock;
diff --git a/src/nwfilter/nwfilter_driver.c b/src/nwfilter/nwfilter_driver.c
index 6516053642..650c5288fc 100644
--- a/src/nwfilter/nwfilter_driver.c
+++ b/src/nwfilter/nwfilter_driver.c
@@ -237,7 +237,10 @@ nwfilterStateInitialize(bool privileged,
 
     VIR_FREE(base);
 
-    if (virNWFilterObjListLoadAllConfigs(&driver->nwfilters, driver->configDir) < 0)
+    if (!(driver->nwfilters = virNWFilterObjListNew()))
+        goto error;
+
+    if (virNWFilterObjListLoadAllConfigs(driver->nwfilters, driver->configDir) < 0)
         goto error;
 
     nwfilterDriverUnlock();
@@ -289,7 +292,7 @@ nwfilterStateReload(void)
     virNWFilterWriteLockFilterUpdates();
     virNWFilterCallbackDriversLock();
 
-    virNWFilterObjListLoadAllConfigs(&driver->nwfilters, driver->configDir);
+    virNWFilterObjListLoadAllConfigs(driver->nwfilters, driver->configDir);
 
     virNWFilterCallbackDriversUnlock();
     virNWFilterUnlockFilterUpdates();
@@ -340,7 +343,7 @@ nwfilterStateCleanup(void)
         nwfilterDriverRemoveDBusMatches();
 
         /* free inactive nwfilters */
-        virNWFilterObjListFree(&driver->nwfilters);
+        virNWFilterObjListFree(driver->nwfilters);
 
         VIR_FREE(driver->configDir);
         nwfilterDriverUnlock();
@@ -362,7 +365,7 @@ nwfilterLookupByUUID(virConnectPtr conn,
     virNWFilterPtr ret = NULL;
 
     nwfilterDriverLock();
-    obj = virNWFilterObjListFindByUUID(&driver->nwfilters, uuid);
+    obj = virNWFilterObjListFindByUUID(driver->nwfilters, uuid);
     nwfilterDriverUnlock();
 
     if (!obj) {
@@ -393,7 +396,7 @@ nwfilterLookupByName(virConnectPtr conn,
     virNWFilterPtr ret = NULL;
 
     nwfilterDriverLock();
-    obj = virNWFilterObjListFindByName(&driver->nwfilters, name);
+    obj = virNWFilterObjListFindByName(driver->nwfilters, name);
     nwfilterDriverUnlock();
 
     if (!obj) {
@@ -421,7 +424,7 @@ nwfilterConnectNumOfNWFilters(virConnectPtr conn)
     if (virConnectNumOfNWFiltersEnsureACL(conn) < 0)
         return -1;
 
-    return virNWFilterObjListNumOfNWFilters(&driver->nwfilters, conn,
+    return virNWFilterObjListNumOfNWFilters(driver->nwfilters, conn,
                                         virConnectNumOfNWFiltersCheckACL);
 }
 
@@ -437,7 +440,7 @@ nwfilterConnectListNWFilters(virConnectPtr conn,
         return -1;
 
     nwfilterDriverLock();
-    nnames = virNWFilterObjListGetNames(&driver->nwfilters, conn,
+    nnames = virNWFilterObjListGetNames(driver->nwfilters, conn,
                                     virConnectListNWFiltersCheckACL,
                                     names, maxnames);
     nwfilterDriverUnlock();
@@ -458,7 +461,7 @@ nwfilterConnectListAllNWFilters(virConnectPtr conn,
         return -1;
 
     nwfilterDriverLock();
-    ret = virNWFilterObjListExport(conn, &driver->nwfilters, filters,
+    ret = virNWFilterObjListExport(conn, driver->nwfilters, filters,
                                    virConnectListAllNWFiltersCheckACL);
     nwfilterDriverUnlock();
 
@@ -490,13 +493,13 @@ nwfilterDefineXML(virConnectPtr conn,
     if (virNWFilterDefineXMLEnsureACL(conn, def) < 0)
         goto cleanup;
 
-    if (!(obj = virNWFilterObjListAssignDef(&driver->nwfilters, def)))
+    if (!(obj = virNWFilterObjListAssignDef(driver->nwfilters, def)))
         goto cleanup;
     def = NULL;
     objdef = virNWFilterObjGetDef(obj);
 
     if (virNWFilterSaveDef(driver->configDir, objdef) < 0) {
-        virNWFilterObjListRemove(&driver->nwfilters, obj);
+        virNWFilterObjListRemove(driver->nwfilters, obj);
         goto cleanup;
     }
 
@@ -525,7 +528,7 @@ nwfilterUndefine(virNWFilterPtr nwfilter)
     virNWFilterWriteLockFilterUpdates();
     virNWFilterCallbackDriversLock();
 
-    obj = virNWFilterObjListFindByUUID(&driver->nwfilters, nwfilter->uuid);
+    obj = virNWFilterObjListFindByUUID(driver->nwfilters, nwfilter->uuid);
     if (!obj) {
         virReportError(VIR_ERR_NO_NWFILTER,
                        "%s", _("no nwfilter with matching uuid"));
@@ -546,7 +549,7 @@ nwfilterUndefine(virNWFilterPtr nwfilter)
     if (virNWFilterDeleteDef(driver->configDir, def) < 0)
         goto cleanup;
 
-    virNWFilterObjListRemove(&driver->nwfilters, obj);
+    virNWFilterObjListRemove(driver->nwfilters, obj);
     obj = NULL;
     ret = 0;
 
@@ -572,7 +575,7 @@ nwfilterGetXMLDesc(virNWFilterPtr nwfilter,
     virCheckFlags(0, NULL);
 
     nwfilterDriverLock();
-    obj = virNWFilterObjListFindByUUID(&driver->nwfilters, nwfilter->uuid);
+    obj = virNWFilterObjListFindByUUID(driver->nwfilters, nwfilter->uuid);
     nwfilterDriverUnlock();
 
     if (!obj) {
diff --git a/src/nwfilter/nwfilter_gentech_driver.c b/src/nwfilter/nwfilter_gentech_driver.c
index 23f19997f3..82e20de381 100644
--- a/src/nwfilter/nwfilter_gentech_driver.c
+++ b/src/nwfilter/nwfilter_gentech_driver.c
@@ -383,7 +383,7 @@ virNWFilterIncludeDefToRuleInst(virNWFilterDriverStatePtr driver,
     int ret = -1;
 
     VIR_DEBUG("Instantiating filter %s", inc->filterref);
-    obj = virNWFilterObjListFindByName(&driver->nwfilters,
+    obj = virNWFilterObjListFindByName(driver->nwfilters,
                                        inc->filterref);
     if (!obj) {
         virReportError(VIR_ERR_INTERNAL_ERROR,
@@ -545,7 +545,7 @@ virNWFilterDetermineMissingVarsRec(virNWFilterDefPtr filter,
                 break;
         } else if (inc) {
             VIR_DEBUG("Following filter %s", inc->filterref);
-            obj = virNWFilterObjListFindByName(&driver->nwfilters, inc->filterref);
+            obj = virNWFilterObjListFindByName(driver->nwfilters, inc->filterref);
             if (obj) {
 
                 if (virNWFilterObjWantRemoved(obj)) {
@@ -812,7 +812,7 @@ __virNWFilterInstantiateFilter(virNWFilterDriverStatePtr driver,
 
     VIR_DEBUG("filter name: %s", filtername);
 
-    obj = virNWFilterObjListFindByName(&driver->nwfilters, filtername);
+    obj = virNWFilterObjListFindByName(driver->nwfilters, filtername);
     if (!obj) {
         virReportError(VIR_ERR_NO_NWFILTER,
                        _("Could not find filter '%s'"),