Input sought on gun laws

TASMANIANS with an interest in the state’s gun laws are being encouraged to share their views with a parliamentary committee.

The House of Assembly Select Committee on Firearms Legislation and Policy will consider current and future gun licencing regimens, including training and testing, licence renewal, licence infringements and licence categories. It will also consider their compliance with the National Firearms Agreement.

Submissions received by the disbanded Legislative Council inquiry into firearms laws will also be considered.

It is expected the committee will advertise for submissions tomorrow.

Committee chairman Mark Shelton said all Tasmanians with an interest in firearms legislation and policy were invited to make a submission to the inquiry.

“We would like to hear from people and organisations who have evidence they believe should come before the inquiry, or a particular perspective on aspects of firearms legislation and policy,” Mr Shelton said.

The inquiry starts as Gun Control Australia awaits a Supreme Court decision about its failed bid to access advice about the State Government’s proposed gun law changes. The lobby group has taken Premier Will Hodgman to court over the Government’s refusal to release legal advice about the changes to gun laws it took to the March state election.

The matter was heard in the Supreme Court in Hobart on Wednesday and Justice Michael Brett has reserved his decision.

During the election campaign, Mr Hodgman said former police minister Rene Hidding provided advice that the changes — which would give farmers greater access to Category C firearms such as semiautomatic rifles, self-loading rifles and pump-action shotguns, and increase the duration of some licences to 10 years — would not breach the National Firearms Agreement.

The agreement was reached in 1996 in response to the Port Arthur massacre.

Gun Control Australia applied under Right to Information legislation to access the advice, but the application was refused on the ground it was not in the public interest.

Gun Control Australia has argued the advice was in the public interest.

In August the Government said it would not proceed with changes to the state’s gun laws until a Legislative Council inquiry had taken place. That inquiry was disbanded on August 22. Chairman Ivan Dean said the committee was unable to continue because it was without valid terms of reference.

On August 29, the House of Assembly select committee was established to examine firearms laws.

The closing date for submissions to that inquiry is October 26 and the committee will report to Parliament by March 14.