❓ A parliamentary question regarding firearm law reforms and their impact on community safety, followed by the Minister's response highlighting the reforms' progress and criticising the opposition's attempt to disallow the regulations.
AnsweredQoN 322Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
Firearms reform322.Ms Kim Giddensto
theMinister for Police:I refer to the Cook
Labor government's nation-leading firearm laws.(1) Can the minister advise the house how these
reforms deliver on this government's commitment to keeping the community safe?(2) Is the minister aware of any attempts to wind
back these important community safety laws?
theMinister for Police:I refer to the Cook
Labor government's nation-leading firearm laws.(1) Can the minister advise the house how these
reforms deliver on this government's commitment to keeping the community safe?(2) Is the minister aware of any attempts to wind
back these important community safety laws?
AnswerView source ↗
Answered
14 August 2025
Response time
0 days
Mr Reece Whitby replied:(1)–(2) I thank the member for her
interest in this very important issue, which affects all Western Australians.The member is right. We are
engaged in the biggest reforms to firearms licensing and ownership in over 50
years, so this is a big bit of work. It is legislation that is in excess of
half a century old, so it was in need of reform and contemporisation. I just
want to update the house on the numbers as of 1 August 2025 in terms of the
progress and what is happening since we introduced this legislation and the
regulations.There have been 61,428 firearms
purchased during all five of our buybacks. That is 61,500 firearms no longer
out there, no longer on the streets, taken away from the community. There have
been 23,786 firearm owners who have created accounts on the firearms portal, so
we have got in excess of almost 24,000 people who are licensed firearm owners
who want to do the right thing and are part of the process who are
transitioning over. They are people who are doing the right thing, who are gun
owners, and know that they are obliged to follow the law. There have been
14,115 properties registered for hunting—good! The process is working. There
have been 12,715 hunting permissions issued—again, process equals outcomes.
Most importantly, 1,026 individuals have had weapons removed under Operation
Larkman, which targets family and domestic violence offenders, criminals and
outlaw gang members. Of those people more than 1,000 have lost their weapons.These laws are the toughest in
the nation and they are getting results. They were passed in this Parliament last
year. However, these laws are now under direct attack by the opposition with
the disallowance motion in the upper house today. The members opposite might
snigger and laugh, but this is serious stuff, because the consequence of this
reckless action has to be explained.I spoke to the Commissioner of
Police this morning, and he confirmed his deep concern and alarm about the
threat Western Australia faces. Disallowing the regulations would render our
gun laws unenforceable. Police would not be able to remove firearms in circumstances
of family and domestic violence, nor from criminals or from outlaw gang
members. With the current law unenforceable, there is nothing to go back to as
the old act has been revoked. It is misinformation in our community that we can
simply switch back—it is not possible.The disallowance of the
regulations would remove any categorisation of firearms. Consequently, due to section
84 of the act, all firearms would be classified as prohibited firearms.
Firearms could not be used by law-abiding licensed gun owners. No use of
firearms, no sales, no gun clubs, no hunting—all would have to cease
immediately. This is what the opposition would do to our state: create firearm
anarchy and total chaos. This is what members opposite are risking in Western
Australia.The commissioner is very
concerned about this. He would have no direction from this Parliament. He would
be faced with taking extreme action to ensure community safety. There is a
process now underway in this Parliament, a review of the gun laws, and I await
those recommendations. I have always said that I am open to sensible
suggestions, and I am working with stakeholders in the firearm community for
better outcomes. But what the opposition's reckless action does today is
undermine all of that and send us into a period of firearm anarchy.The test—I said this
yesterday and it bears repeating—is for the opposition and in
particular the Leader of the Opposition. Now he has been silent through this.
He is a bloke—Several members
interjected.The Speaker:Members!Mr Reece Whitby:The leader can make light of this,
but he has remained silent. When he has had the opportunity to debate this
issue in this chamber, he has remained silent. A bloke who normally speaks
underwater, the commentator of everything, was silent in this debate. Now he
needs to stand up and decide whether he supports our community and the vast
majority of Western Australians who support safe and sensible gun laws. He
needs,in particular, to support the folks in
Floreat, I reckon. Does he really want them to see that his most substantialaction
in this place, as their local representative, is to make our community less
safe when it comes to guns?Several members
interjected.The Speaker:Members!Mr Lachlan Hunterinterjected.The Speaker:Member for Central Wheatbelt!Mr Lachlan Hunterinterjected.The Speaker:Member for Central Wheatbelt!Mr Paul Papaliainterjected.The Speaker:Minister!Mr Lachlan Hunterinterjected.Mr Paul Papaliainterjected.The Speaker:Minister! Minister for Emergency Services,
I am going to call you to order for the first time. Member for Central
Wheatbelt, please do not interject. The minister is concluding his remarks.
Thank you.Mr Reece Whitby:I mean, really, is that all members
opposite have got? Seriously, they are lightweights. They are lightweights.I will conclude, Speaker.
It is the Leader of the Opposition's opportunity and it is not too late. It is
his opportunity to stand up for the community and stand up against the
extremists in his own party. Does he have the courage to do that? He cannot
have it both ways. He cannot be a commentator. On this, he either—Mr Lachlan Hunterinterjected.The Speaker:Member for Central Wheatbelt.Mr Reece Whitby:I am not even going to bother with
you, mate. You are "Mr Lightweight". You are the lightweight over
there.Several members
interjected.The Speaker:Members!Mr Reece Whitby:You either support safer gun laws or
you do not; that is your decision.
Firearms reform
interest in this very important issue, which affects all Western Australians.The member is right. We are
engaged in the biggest reforms to firearms licensing and ownership in over 50
years, so this is a big bit of work. It is legislation that is in excess of
half a century old, so it was in need of reform and contemporisation. I just
want to update the house on the numbers as of 1 August 2025 in terms of the
progress and what is happening since we introduced this legislation and the
regulations.There have been 61,428 firearms
purchased during all five of our buybacks. That is 61,500 firearms no longer
out there, no longer on the streets, taken away from the community. There have
been 23,786 firearm owners who have created accounts on the firearms portal, so
we have got in excess of almost 24,000 people who are licensed firearm owners
who want to do the right thing and are part of the process who are
transitioning over. They are people who are doing the right thing, who are gun
owners, and know that they are obliged to follow the law. There have been
14,115 properties registered for hunting—good! The process is working. There
have been 12,715 hunting permissions issued—again, process equals outcomes.
Most importantly, 1,026 individuals have had weapons removed under Operation
Larkman, which targets family and domestic violence offenders, criminals and
outlaw gang members. Of those people more than 1,000 have lost their weapons.These laws are the toughest in
the nation and they are getting results. They were passed in this Parliament last
year. However, these laws are now under direct attack by the opposition with
the disallowance motion in the upper house today. The members opposite might
snigger and laugh, but this is serious stuff, because the consequence of this
reckless action has to be explained.I spoke to the Commissioner of
Police this morning, and he confirmed his deep concern and alarm about the
threat Western Australia faces. Disallowing the regulations would render our
gun laws unenforceable. Police would not be able to remove firearms in circumstances
of family and domestic violence, nor from criminals or from outlaw gang
members. With the current law unenforceable, there is nothing to go back to as
the old act has been revoked. It is misinformation in our community that we can
simply switch back—it is not possible.The disallowance of the
regulations would remove any categorisation of firearms. Consequently, due to section
84 of the act, all firearms would be classified as prohibited firearms.
Firearms could not be used by law-abiding licensed gun owners. No use of
firearms, no sales, no gun clubs, no hunting—all would have to cease
immediately. This is what the opposition would do to our state: create firearm
anarchy and total chaos. This is what members opposite are risking in Western
Australia.The commissioner is very
concerned about this. He would have no direction from this Parliament. He would
be faced with taking extreme action to ensure community safety. There is a
process now underway in this Parliament, a review of the gun laws, and I await
those recommendations. I have always said that I am open to sensible
suggestions, and I am working with stakeholders in the firearm community for
better outcomes. But what the opposition's reckless action does today is
undermine all of that and send us into a period of firearm anarchy.The test—I said this
yesterday and it bears repeating—is for the opposition and in
particular the Leader of the Opposition. Now he has been silent through this.
He is a bloke—Several members
interjected.The Speaker:Members!Mr Reece Whitby:The leader can make light of this,
but he has remained silent. When he has had the opportunity to debate this
issue in this chamber, he has remained silent. A bloke who normally speaks
underwater, the commentator of everything, was silent in this debate. Now he
needs to stand up and decide whether he supports our community and the vast
majority of Western Australians who support safe and sensible gun laws. He
needs,in particular, to support the folks in
Floreat, I reckon. Does he really want them to see that his most substantialaction
in this place, as their local representative, is to make our community less
safe when it comes to guns?Several members
interjected.The Speaker:Members!Mr Lachlan Hunterinterjected.The Speaker:Member for Central Wheatbelt!Mr Lachlan Hunterinterjected.The Speaker:Member for Central Wheatbelt!Mr Paul Papaliainterjected.The Speaker:Minister!Mr Lachlan Hunterinterjected.Mr Paul Papaliainterjected.The Speaker:Minister! Minister for Emergency Services,
I am going to call you to order for the first time. Member for Central
Wheatbelt, please do not interject. The minister is concluding his remarks.
Thank you.Mr Reece Whitby:I mean, really, is that all members
opposite have got? Seriously, they are lightweights. They are lightweights.I will conclude, Speaker.
It is the Leader of the Opposition's opportunity and it is not too late. It is
his opportunity to stand up for the community and stand up against the
extremists in his own party. Does he have the courage to do that? He cannot
have it both ways. He cannot be a commentator. On this, he either—Mr Lachlan Hunterinterjected.The Speaker:Member for Central Wheatbelt.Mr Reece Whitby:I am not even going to bother with
you, mate. You are "Mr Lightweight". You are the lightweight over
there.Several members
interjected.The Speaker:Members!Mr Reece Whitby:You either support safer gun laws or
you do not; that is your decision.
Firearms reform
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