PM considers national gun registry reform
Maeve Bannister |
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will talk to his state and territory colleagues about how to improve access to gun registration information in the wake of the police ambush in Queensland.
Constables Matthew Arnold, 26 and Rachel McCrow, 29, were killed last week after being ambushed at a rural property in Wieambilla, three hours west of Brisbane.
Neighbour Alan Dare was also gunned down by conspiracy theorists Gareth Train, his partner Stacey Train and brother Nathaniel Train when he went to assist.
The deaths have sparked calls for national reform and particularly a consistent gun registry across Australian states and territories.
The prime minister said there would be a briefing about practical ways to improve coordination of information about guns in the community at the next national cabinet meeting with his state and territory colleagues.
He stressed the briefing would not be about changing the nature of national gun laws, which were overhauled by former prime minister John Howard in the wake of the 1996 Port Arthur massacre.
Mr Albanese said the recent tragedy was still being investigated by Queensland authorities but his government would take any advice about ways to improve laws to protect Australians.
“I am certainly up for dialogue with the states and territories about how there can be better national consistency and national information that can serve the interests of police going about their duty,” he told reporters in Canberra.
AAP
