The Shooting Industry Foundation of Australia (SIFA) says the South Australian Police (SAPOL) Firearms Branch now faces “a crisis of credibility” following what appear to be a data breach, incorrect application of the law and false statements about its workload.
Shooters and firearm dealers in South Australia have been complaining for months about excessive delays in processing licences and permits – especially as the frustration of the state’s shooting community, along with the losses to businesses, continues to mount.
Adding insult to injury, there has been an apprenticeship data breach stemming from an email sent on 13 November 13 by SAPOL to firearm dealers in which the recipient addresses were listed “in clear” — ie, not addressed using the BCC field and therefore visible to all recipients.
A number of the addresses are understood to be private or personal email addresses rather than gun store or business addresses.
“For a regulator who dictates strict storage and security requirements, who frequently reminds industry of our obligations, and enforces compliance, it is deeply concerning that SAPOL Firearms Branch would circulate sensitive contact details to an entire sector in a single, openly addressed email,” SIFA CEO James Walsh said in an article published by the organisation.
“This is a gross failure of data security and not the conduct we expect of a professional shooting industry regulator. The security of our industry should be of paramount consideration and not breached so brazenly by its regulator.”
Queensland Police experienced a similar breach in 2021, when an email to firearms owners in the Moreton police district was sent with the recipient addresses clearly visible, an event which was similarly denounced by shooting community members including SIFA and Shooters Union.
MANDATORY WAITING PERIODS THAT DON’T EXIST
The 13 November SAPOL email was an effort by SAPOL to provide additional context to the issue of PTA delays. It claims there has been a 55% increase in PTA applications since 2019, and implies the Firearms Act requires PTAs have a minimum 28-day waiting period on them.
SIFA has pointed out that the Firearms Act sub-section immediately after the one quoted by SAPOL explicitly states PTAs may be issued without a mandatory 28-day wait.
No waiting period is required if the applicant already own a firearms in the same category or “the Registrar is satisfied that it is safe to do so and that there are special reasons for doing so” — in other words, SAPOL absolutely can issue PTAs within 28 days of the application.
“This type of misleading conduct is deeply concerning as it is coming from a law enforcement agency whose role is to uphold the law, not selectively quote it to satisfy their narrative,” Mr Walsh said.
“The Minister must now immediately demand answers as to why Firearms Branch have deliberately misrepresented the law to the media and public.”
QUESTIONS OVER MILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN COMMONWEALTH FUNDING
SAPOL’s claims regarding the additional workload did not escape SIFA scrutiny either, with the shooting industry peak body pointing out that Freedom of Information data shows “no clear pattern of significant increase, sudden spike or even a defined upward trajectory that would explain the current crisis as suggested”.
Based on the claim of a 55% increase in workload over five years, SIFA has queried why in the past year alone PTA processing times have risen from around 17 days to the 43 they are currently taking.
Mr Walsh said this suggested the current failures were purely operational, and likely stemmed from mismanaged project resourcing as a result of staff being diverted from ‘business as usual’ permit processing duties, to meet the demands of the National Firearms Register (NFR) project, rather than as a result of an increase in the number of permits as suggested.
“This failure of adequate resourcing should have been the focus of the Branch, to ensure that [business-as-usual] work wasn’t compromised whilst the NFR work was being undertaken,” Mr Walsh said.
“After all, the Federal Funding Agreement for South Australia allocates millions of dollars in funding to resource the project, so, if the Commonwealth funds haven’t been spent on project resources, where have they been spent?
“The Minister must now question why this statement has been made publicly, when the data clearly doesn’t support the narrative, and immediately investigate the expenditure of Commonwealth resources.”
SIFA alleges workload resourcing in the firearms registry has been mismanaged, industry privacy and confidentiality have been breached, and public confidence in the SA firearms regulator is being eroded.
“This is not a system simply ‘under pressure’, this is a system lacking proper management and process,” Mr Walsh said.
“It is time for the Police Minister and the South Australian Government to intervene and audit the Firearms Branch to examine the extent of the issues and set in place a plan to properly manage and resource the current demand and backlog.
“This is the only way to restore the trust of industry, sporting organisations and primary producers. Our industry deserves nothing less.”
SAPOL has recently overhauled its Firearms & Weapons page as part of an effort to make information relating to firearms licensing matters easier to find for the shooting community.
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