Firearms Act report ‘states the bleeding obvious’
The peak body for Western Australian farmers has criticized a Parliamentary Committee report into the Firearms Act 2024 for not addressing the big issues.
WAFarmers President Steve McGuire said the report’s findings confirm many of concerns the organization has with the legislation but fails to recommend significant improvements.
“We know the Act was rushed through Parliament prior to the last election mostly for political reasons,” Mr. McGuire said.
“There wasn’t enough time for consultation on the Bill and the result is flawed legislation that relies too heavily on regulations – and this report absolutely confirms it.”
“The Committee report mentions the ‘Henry VIII effect’ more than 60 times, confirming the huge reliance on regulations that don’t get the full scrutiny of Parliament.”
“Let’s face it, the Act has 246 pages and the supporting Regulations has 303 pages.”
“The report also acknowledges our concern that there was insufficient public information about the new law which created a vacuum in which assumptions and misinformation spread.”
“We are pleased to see that our recommendation to develop an information booklet for firearm owners was taken up by the committee.”
“It is encouraging that the Committee accepted the need for review of the mental health provisions of the law, but unfortunate our recommendation to remove the burden from GP’s was not more thoughtfully considered.”
“It is unfortunate this Report declares it was ‘not about the policy of the Act’ because many of the challenges this law creates for WA farmers need legislative changes.”
“Generally speaking, the majority of the Committee took a predicably soft line supporting the controversial parts of the legislation along Party lines.”
“In summary, while the Report acknowledges some concerns, particularly around communication and access, it largely avoids addressing the deeper structural, operational, and trust-based issues raised by WAFarmers — especially those relating to firearm caps, business structures, and practical implementation on farms.”
“WAFarmers remains eager to be involved in all aspects of community safety and will continue to work with all stakeholders to improve consultation and outcomes for our rural communities.”
