South Australia’s Police Minister has written to the SSAA affirming a clear and principled position on firearms law reform – and the principles at the heart of that position apply equally to Victoria.
The letter from the Office of the Hon. Blair Boyer MP, Minister for Police, comes ahead of the South Australian State Election and sets out the South Australian Government’s approach with admirable clarity. It is worth reading carefully, because what it says about responsible firearms ownership, the importance of consultation, and the need for evidence-based reform is precisely what SSAA Victoria has been saying throughout the Rapid Review being conducted by former Chief Commissioner Ken Lay AO APM.
A strong framework, properly maintained
The Minister’s letter notes that “South Australia already has some of the strictest and comprehensive laws in the country,” designed to “protect the community while recognising that the overwhelming majority of firearm owners in South Australia are responsible, law-abiding citizens who comply with their obligations.”
That will sound familiar to Victorian members. Victoria’s firearms framework, built and refined over more than forty years, rests on exactly the same foundations. Our licensing regime is rigorous. Our storage requirements are comprehensive. Our fit-and-proper-person checks are robust. The Victorian system has served the community well, precisely because it has evolved (with a few notable exceptions) with genuine engagement from the people it most directly affects.
The South Australian letter goes further, confirming that “the Minister can confirm that there are no changes to firearm legislation currently under consideration by the South Australian Government.” It is a clear signal that South Australia does not believe the events at Bondi, horrific and deeply disturbing as they were, require rushed legislative responses in the firearms space.
You cannot have well-considered policy and quick policy
This is the critical point. The South Australian Government has been explicit: “any reforms to firearms legislation in South Australia must be approached carefully, thoughtfully and with genuine consultation. Any changes would involve extensive consultation with firearms owners and key stakeholders like the Sporting Shooters’ Association of Australia (SSAA Inc).”
The letter concludes with a statement that should guide policymakers everywhere: “Responsible firearm owners deserve certainty, fairness and respect, and reforms must be based on evidence. Responsible firearm ownership and community safety are not competing values, both are essential, and both deserve careful, balanced consideration.”
New South Wales moved quickly in the aftermath of Bondi. The rest of Australia has not. That is not inaction, it is good governance. You can have well-considered, evidence-based firearms policy, or you can have quick policy. Experience shows you cannot reliably have both.
The case for Victoria’s Firearm Consultative Committee
SSAA Victoria is not suggesting that the Victorian Government has acted improperly. Quite the opposite – the establishment of a Rapid Review under Ken Lay AO APM reflects a commitment to examining the issues seriously. We welcome that.
But the South Australian approach points to something important: the value of structured, genuine consultation with those who know the firearms community best.
Victoria has precisely such a mechanism in its specialist Firearm Consultative Committee (FCC). The FCC exists for exactly this purpose, to provide government with expert, informed, community-grounded advice on firearms matters before decisions are made. It is a resource that reflects decades of accumulated knowledge about how Victoria’s framework operates in practice, what works, and what the unintended consequences of change might be.
SSAA Victoria’s position is straightforward: whatever recommendations emerge from the Rapid Review should be referred to the Firearm Consultative Committee for full examination before any decisions are made. This is not a delay tactic. It is the proper process – the kind of careful, consultative approach that South Australia’s Minister has endorsed and that has served Victoria’s firearms community and the broader public well for forty years.
What Victoria and South Australia have in common
The South Australian letter identifies several pillars of a sound firearms framework: strong licensing requirements, fit-and-proper-person checks, licence renewal requirements, and work toward a modernised national register. Victoria shares all of these. We are also well advanced on National Firearms Register implementation.
The point is simple: the features the South Australian Government points to with justified confidence as evidence of a robust system are features Victoria already possesses. There is no gap that requires urgent legislative action. There is, however, a genuine opportunity – through the Rapid Review and then through the FCC – to ensure that any refinements to Victoria’s framework are made on the basis of evidence, expertise, and proper process.
That is what our members deserve. That is what the community deserves. And that, as South Australia’s Police Minister has made clear, is how good policy gets made.
