Police Minister Bill Byrne has proved he is no different to his disgraced predecessor and mate Jo-Ann Miller in completely shutting out key stakeholder groups from any form of genuine consultation on gun laws at the state and national level.
The pattern of secrecy started last year with the review of the National Firearms Agreement and that pattern is continuing with Labor’s review of the Queensland laws and regulations.
It’s imperative that our laws maximize the safety of our communities and families by targeting criminals; and it is important that our laws free-up police and police resources to strangle criminal activity in Queensland.
We now have the crazy situation where Ms Palaszczuk Labor and Bill Byrne are effectively silencing law-abiding gun owners and their representatives, while simultaneously working to water down anti-criminal gang (VLAD) laws.
Any watering-down of our VLAD laws by Labor will effectively handcuff Taskforce Maxima – the special police unit that’s been successful in finding and confiscating hundreds of illegal guns from criminal gangs across Queensland.
In government, the LNP worked closely with the Ministerial Weapons Advisory Panel to ensure any law changes were not only fair, but also evidence-based by incorporating the knowledge and experience of experts from farm and other industry groups and gun clubs.
Inexplicably this advisory panel was abolished last year by the Palaszczuk Labor Government without warning; without explanation; and without consultation.
Labor’s hypocrisy is baffling. On one hand it is silencing law-abiding firearm owners while simultaneously empowering criminals through its mindless determination to water down the LNP’s anti-criminal gang laws.
When the LNP was in government, the Ministerial Weapons Advisory Panel was working on a number of proposals to reduce red-tape and improve processing times in the Weapons Licensing Branch. These common sense reforms have now stalled under the Labor government that has become frozen at the wheel. We have recently announced that in Government the LNP will re-establish the Ministerial Weapons Advisory Panel.
Delays in the Weapons Licensing Branch have now become farcical.
It’s hardly a wonder law-abiding gun owners have had enough. All they want, and deserve, is a seat at the table to provide input and expert advice into any review so that the laws and regulations can be improved.
As a holder of a weapons licence myself, I am sick and tired of Labor governments pandering to minority groups when the real issues are the actions of criminals peddling illegal firearms – not those who do the right thing and go through the licensing process. Compliance action should be focused on people who do the wrong thing.
As part of our commitment to consultation, both the Leader of the Opposition Lawrence Springborg and I have met with and continue to meet with industry groups, representative bodies and firearm users to discuss the issues that are important to law-abiding firearm users in Queensland.
- Jarrod Bleijie is the Shadow Minister for Police, Fire and Emergency Services and the LNP Member for Kawana.
