❓ Ms. Tonkin asks about amendments to firearms laws to prevent domestic violence perpetrators from accessing guns, referencing the Floreat tragedy. The Minister details new measures including firearm seizure powers, explicit recognition of family violence in the Firearms Act, and stricter collector licence requirements.
AnsweredQoN 354Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
FAMILY AND DOMESTIC
VIOLENCE — FIREARMS ACT REFORM
354. Ms C.M. TONKIN to the Minister for Police:
First of all, on behalf of the
member for Riverton, I acknowledge the students from Rossmoyne Senior High
School in the public gallery.
I refer to the Cook Labor government's
unprecedented efforts to confront family and domestic violence, and to protect victims or potential victims of this
heinous crime. Can the minister update the house on how this government's amendments to Western Australia's
firearms laws will keep guns out of the hands of domestic violence perpetrators and help protect our community?
VIOLENCE — FIREARMS ACT REFORM
354. Ms C.M. TONKIN to the Minister for Police:
First of all, on behalf of the
member for Riverton, I acknowledge the students from Rossmoyne Senior High
School in the public gallery.
I refer to the Cook Labor government's
unprecedented efforts to confront family and domestic violence, and to protect victims or potential victims of this
heinous crime. Can the minister update the house on how this government's amendments to Western Australia's
firearms laws will keep guns out of the hands of domestic violence perpetrators and help protect our community?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for her question
and her support on this appalling challenge that we are confronting across the
community and the nation—that is, the scourge of family and domestic
violence.
The upper house will debate
amendments to the Firearms Bill currently before Parliament that were crafted
by the Western Australia Police Force at the request of the Premier to directly
address the circumstances of the tragedy in Floreat two weeks ago. I refer to
those amendments, which will be put to Parliament for all of us to consider, as
a way to directly address some of the circumstances that we confronted in
Floreat. The deaths of Jennifer and Gretl Petelczyc
were tragic. They were murdered by a licensed firearms owner and collector
using a Glock handgun . Those actions were undeniably family and domestic
violence motivated. His ability to kill was made easier by his legal access to
firearms, specifically handguns. The Premier asked that we address those
matters. I understand that today in the upper house amendments will be added to
the supplementary notice paper.
No
law is guaranteed to end family and domestic violence. It is an extraordinary
challenge that will require efforts by all of us—all levels of
government and the community collectively—to respond to changing
behaviour. Nevertheless, the murderer of Jennifer and Gretl would have been
impacted by many of the measures in our new gun laws, which are already before
that house. These amendments are in addition to that.
Members will be aware that an
internal police investigation is underway regarding the statement made by Ariel
Bombara, and that continues. But in advance of the outcomes of that
investigation, we will today move the following
measures. There will be new mandatory powers to enable police to seize firearms
without a warrant when a report relating to domestic violence becomes
apparent to police—at the first moment. In advance of meeting the
requirements for a violence restraining order or a police order, when police
are made aware of a domestic situation in which there is conflict and guns are
involved, they will be seized. In addition, there will be explicit
acknowledgement of family violence by using the terminology in the definition
in the Restraining Orders Act in the
Firearms Act. It is not currently the case that family violence is recognised
in the Firearms Act. We will adopt the definition from the Restraining
Orders Act and put it in the Firearms Act. There will be much stricter
requirements for collector licences and a significant reduction in people's
ability to collect firearms, particularly handguns.
All these measures are directly
linked to the tragic circumstances we confronted in Floreat, and I trust that
they will be endorsed and supported by everyone in Parliament. It is undeniable
that we cannot allow the murder of Jennifer and Gretl to go without recognition
and without a response.
and her support on this appalling challenge that we are confronting across the
community and the nation—that is, the scourge of family and domestic
violence.
The upper house will debate
amendments to the Firearms Bill currently before Parliament that were crafted
by the Western Australia Police Force at the request of the Premier to directly
address the circumstances of the tragedy in Floreat two weeks ago. I refer to
those amendments, which will be put to Parliament for all of us to consider, as
a way to directly address some of the circumstances that we confronted in
Floreat. The deaths of Jennifer and Gretl Petelczyc
were tragic. They were murdered by a licensed firearms owner and collector
using a Glock handgun . Those actions were undeniably family and domestic
violence motivated. His ability to kill was made easier by his legal access to
firearms, specifically handguns. The Premier asked that we address those
matters. I understand that today in the upper house amendments will be added to
the supplementary notice paper.
No
law is guaranteed to end family and domestic violence. It is an extraordinary
challenge that will require efforts by all of us—all levels of
government and the community collectively—to respond to changing
behaviour. Nevertheless, the murderer of Jennifer and Gretl would have been
impacted by many of the measures in our new gun laws, which are already before
that house. These amendments are in addition to that.
Members will be aware that an
internal police investigation is underway regarding the statement made by Ariel
Bombara, and that continues. But in advance of the outcomes of that
investigation, we will today move the following
measures. There will be new mandatory powers to enable police to seize firearms
without a warrant when a report relating to domestic violence becomes
apparent to police—at the first moment. In advance of meeting the
requirements for a violence restraining order or a police order, when police
are made aware of a domestic situation in which there is conflict and guns are
involved, they will be seized. In addition, there will be explicit
acknowledgement of family violence by using the terminology in the definition
in the Restraining Orders Act in the
Firearms Act. It is not currently the case that family violence is recognised
in the Firearms Act. We will adopt the definition from the Restraining
Orders Act and put it in the Firearms Act. There will be much stricter
requirements for collector licences and a significant reduction in people's
ability to collect firearms, particularly handguns.
All these measures are directly
linked to the tragic circumstances we confronted in Floreat, and I trust that
they will be endorsed and supported by everyone in Parliament. It is undeniable
that we cannot allow the murder of Jennifer and Gretl to go without recognition
and without a response.
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