Key Wieambilla finding rejected in ‘tough’ gun reforms
Robyn Wuth and Laine Clark |
A key Wieambilla inquest finding has been rejected after a state government opted not to adopt mandatory mental health checks for gun licences.
The Queensland government has also come under fire for reforms in response to the Bondi terror attack, with one critic claiming it had “fortified the weakest gun laws in Australia”.
Queensland Premier David Crisafulli on Tuesday backed his “tough” changes aimed at keeping guns out of the hands of terrorists and criminals.
In response to the Wieambilla inquest findings, the state government said reporting patients considered a high risk of gun violence would become mandatory.
However the state government did not embrace a coroner’s key recommendation that called for a review into the feasibility of mandatory mental health checks for weapons licence applicants.
Six people died after delusional family Nathaniel, Gareth and Stacey Train opened fire on police at their remote property in 2022, killing Constables Matthew Arnold and Rachel McCrow plus neighbour Alan Dare.
Under a ministerial directive, professional carers in the public health system will be obliged to refer patients who are felt to be at a higher risk of committing violence with a weapon to the police.
“The events at Wieambilla were a dark day for Queensland and we owe it to the victims and their families to make Queensland safer,” Mr Crisafulli said.
The reforms would also boost police powers to keep guns out of the hands of terrorists and criminals, the government said.
“We are taking action now, with mandatory mental health reporting for high-risk individuals, instead of waiting months for a study,” Health Minister Tim Nicholls said.
The Australian Gun Safety Alliance slammed the “terrible” move.
“It’s as though these policies have been written by the firearm industry,” spokesperson Stephen Bendle told AAP.
“It’s only for high-risk people in the public health system.”
Existing requirements on weapons licensing applications for people to declare any neurological condition, psychiatric disorder, psychological issues and alcohol and drug history will also be strengthened in the new legislation.
After rejecting a federal gun buyback scheme, Queensland will make Australian citizenship a requirement for holding a gun licence as well as impose tougher penalties for stealing, making, trafficking, modifying or possessing illegal firearms.
Mr Bendle said it did nothing to curtail the number of guns in the community.
“We don’t think they’re gun reforms at all. We think that all it does is increase penalties for people who have already done the wrong thing.”
Mr Bendle in later statement said other jurisdictions were considering measures such as restricting the type of weapons used at Bondi, strengthening background checks and limiting licence periods.
“The Queensland premier has ignored any of these preventative measures … Queensland government has now fortified the weakest gun laws in Australia.”
Slogans including “from the river to the sea” and “globalise the intifada” will also be outlawed in an Australia-first as part of laws targeting anti-Semitism set to be introduced in Queensland parliament.
It has sparked protests in Brisbane, with people rallying outside state parliament on Tuesday.
AAP
