Western Australia Shadow Attorney-General Nick Goiran has secured a win for shooters in the fight against the state’s rushed and hateful gun laws, with his motion to refer them to the Standing Committee on Legislation for a full review and report succeeding on Wednesday night.
The Nationals also supported the motion, as did Legalise Cannabis, One Nation and the Australian Christians.
Astoundingly, the motion was also supported by the Greens and the Animal Justice Party. Both parties had concerns over the mental and physical fitness sign-off requirements of the laws and the inability of Aboriginal people to hunt on their lands
Ultimately, even the ALP voted in favour of the motion, and shooters have cheered the news of the review.
Mr Goiran — who is a licensed firearms owner himself — thanked the MPs who had voted for it, and said one of the key contributors to its success had been individual people concerned about the laws, who had “paid attention and persisted”.
“You called. Emailed. Asked questions. And this is why perseverance matters,” he said.
“Together we didn’t just sit back and allow Labor’s arrogance, contempt and incompetence to be tolerated.
“You wanted consultation. You wanted answers. You wanted workable responsible regulation of firearms in our state.”
The motion as passed reads:
(1) That the Standing Committee on Legislation is directed to inquire into and report on the Firearms Act 2024, which received Royal Assent on 27 June 2024, including any provisions that have not yet come into operation.
(2) Without limiting the scope of the Committee’s inquiry, the Committee is to:
(a) Particularly focus its consideration on those provisions of the Act that were passed by the Legislative Council after time for consideration of the originating Bill in Committee of the Whole had lapsed pursuant to Standing Order 125A;
(b) Review the operation, effectiveness and implementation of those Parts of the Act, including any subsidiary legislation, that have come into operation at the time that the inquiry is commenced; and
(c) Report on:
(i) Problems that have emerged from the implementation and operation of the legislation;
(ii) Whether all provisions are consistent with Fundamental Legislative Principles;
(iii) Recommended amendments that will ensure the legislation’s workability and effectiveness; and
(iv) Any other relevant matter.
(3) The Committee is to report within three months.
Following the successful motion, the Firearms Act 2024 and accompanying Regulations will now be referred to the Standing Committee on Legislation for a comprehensive review.
Unfortunately, the motion does not suspend the Act or Regulations, and they will remain in force while the review is undertaken – a process likely to take between three and six months at least, depending on whether the committee requests extensions on the reporting deadline due to the incredibly complex nature of the legislation.
The Greens have also said their support of the review motion means they will not support a planned disallowance motion later this year — the party supports stronger gun laws — with Greens MP Dr Brad Pettitt describing a disallowance motion as “the nuclear option that will blow all of this [firearms legislation] up”.
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