Page 4010 - Week 14 - Tuesday, 22 October 1991
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
clear terms, for the benefit of potential gun owners and the licensing authority, the circumstances under which persons who perceive that they have a legitimate need for a firearm may acquire, possess and use that firearm.
The Government fully supports the principle espoused in the legislation but also recognises the need for going further and not becoming complacent about firearm control simply because of the introduction of such comprehensive legislation. There is still room for improvement, and this Government is committed to making every endeavour to eliminate violence from our society.
The ACT is at the forefront of having the most comprehensive gun laws in Australia, and the Weapons Act would provide the basis for, and was in fact originally developed as, model national legislation. In this context, I have written to Senator Tate, in his role as chairman of the Australian Police Ministers Council, and the Prime Minister about the issue of firearm control, which is the basis of the council's agenda for its meeting on 23 October 1991. Uniform national firearm legislation will be further addressed at the November Special Premiers Conference.
The Government also recognises that the Weapons Act alone can go only part of the way to making ours a less violent society. Over recent months debate has occurred - in particular, in the local print media - about the protection afforded to people who find themselves in threatening domestic situations. Indeed, domestic violence is another important issue taken up by the committee's report. The Government is committed to doing whatever it reasonably can to ensure the protection of such persons.
To this end, relevant amendments were made to the Domestic Violence Act 1986 and the Magistrates Court Act 1930 to empower a magistrate, when granting a protection or restraining order, or an interim order, to order the seizure and detention of any firearms in the respondent's possession.
The Weapons Act further cements these protections by specifically requiring the registrar, prior to granting a licence, to have regard to whether a protection order or restraining order has been made in the past eight years against the applicant for a licence or whether an interim order is in force against such a person when considering the application. These same factors arise when considering whether to cancel or suspend a licence. If a protection order or restraining order is in force, an application for a licence must be rejected.
Further, the Domestic Violence Act has been amended to extend the categories of persons who may apply for protection orders to include children, grandparents, other immediate relations and, regardless of relationship, all members of the same household. The ACT's domestic violence legislation is well supported by the excellent services in
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .