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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1996 Week 5 Hansard (14 May) . . Page.. 1227 ..

MR HUMPHRIES (continuing):

if those conditions are not met. Licence category A and B weapons will need to be stored in a minimum locked container made of either hardwood or steel, with a thickness designed to ensure that it is not easily penetrable. If the container weighs under 150 kilograms, it will have to be fixed to the frame of the wall or floor of the building. Category C, D and H weapons must be stored in a locked steel safe bolted to the structure of the building. Ammunition must be stored in locked containers separate from the firearms. Some measures will be applicable for temporary storage commensurate with the circumstances of the temporary use. It is intended that a safety booklet will be distributed to all firearms licence applicants, detailing precise information about security and storage. In addition, police will be required to approve security and storage at gun dealers and for special events, such as film production.

The ninth issue is recording of sales. All future resales of firearms will need to be conducted through licensed firearms dealers. Private sales of weapons will be made unlawful. Firearms dealers will be obliged to ensure that all purchasers of weapons are appropriately licensed. Dealers will also be required to record and maintain details of all transactions, including weapon type, make, calibre and serial number, against a name, address and licence number record for all sellers and purchasers. Those records will have to be provided to the police for the information of the National Register of Weapons. Police will be given the right to inspect records without notice in the case of investigation of an offence. Licence holders purchasing ammunition will have to produce their licence, and only ammunition for the class of weapon for which the purchaser has a licence will be available. Jurisdictions will have the ability to set limits on the amount of ammunition purchased in a period, given the ability to maintain such records.

The tenth issue is mail order sales control. That is an area about which I have been particularly concerned. I have found it unacceptable that people can so easily purchase semiautomatic weapons with just a credit card and a 1800 telephone number. Having said that, I acknowledge the need for some rural producers and farmers in remote areas to have access to a convenient sales method for the purchase of their firearms and ammunition; but the controls in some States, frankly, are just too lax. In future, under our agreement, mail orders will be permitted only between licensed gun dealers. Advertisements for the sale of weapons will be prohibited unless conducted through a licensed gun dealer. Transport of ammunition with firearms will be strictly prohibited.

The eleventh issue is compensation and incentive issues. All governments recognised the need to institute a basis for fair and proper compensation for weapons now banned. There will be continuing discussions between the Commonwealth and the States and Territories in an effort to reach a satisfactory agreement on financing the buyback scheme. The Commonwealth will make "a healthy and substantial contribution" to the buyback scheme. In addition, they will contribute to a public education campaign. One hopes that all those costs will be picked up by the Commonwealth. A 12-month amnesty will be established, during which the public education campaign will promote compliance with the new laws as well as warn of severe penalties where banned firearms are not surrendered. Penalties shall, to the greatest extent possible, be uniform for failure to comply with the new laws. Some details will need to be worked out before the buyback scheme is finalised. The Federal Treasurer has proposed a one-off levy - a concept which

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