Farmers and pastoralists call for more ‘clarity and engagement’ around WA’s new gun laws

Farmers are calling for more clarity around WA’s new gun laws, with industry leaders claiming they were not consulted over the State Government’s decision to impose mandatory mental health assessments on licence holders. WA Police Minister Paul Papalia this month announced the policy as part of the McGowan Government’s overhaul of the State’s “outdated” and decades-old firearms laws. Pastoralists and Graziers Association of WA President Tony Seabrook said while the industry recognised the need to ensure public safety, the new Act must protect the legitimate use of firearms by farmers and pastoralists. He said more engagement was needed with primary producers over the drafting of the new laws. “So far there has been limited engagement with the agricultural and pastoral industries over the new laws, including no consultation over the recent announcement of mandatory mental health assessments for all firearms licence holders,” Mr Seabrook said. “It is important that any review of the existing firearms legislation will not restrict the ability of farmers and pastoralists to acquire and safely use legal firearms in their daily activities.” Mr Seabrook said the practicality of implementing such a policy raised numerous questions, especially for regional and rural licence holders. He questioned who would do the checks — be it GPs or psychologists — and how farmers in remote areas would access them given “the perilous state of our health system”. “What will be the frequency of the checks? Will it be annually, when renewing your licence, or every other month?” Mr Seabrook said. “Will there be a right of appeal against an assessment? Will there be a tiered system of mental health issues? “Given the already perilous state of our health system, especially in the regions, how practical will it be for 80,000 firearms licence holders to visit either a GP or a psychologist each year to conduct an assessment? And at what cost?” Mr Seabrook also questioned the rationale behind the policy, saying any suggestion mental health checks would reduce shooting fatalities was “a very long bow to draw”. “The McGowan Government needs to engage fully and provide more clarity over these changes to primary producers to ensure that we have a fair firearms licensing regime that provides community safety whilst not restricting primary producers from acquiring and using firearms,” he said. “Whether used for vermin control, dispatching sick or diseased stock, or for safety during mustering, firearms are important and necessary tools for farmers and pastoralists.” WA’s other State farm organisation, WAFarmers, has also been critical of the proposed changes. WAFarmers president John Hassell said WA already had the toughest gun laws in Australia “and possibly the world”. “It is absolutely right and proper that people should be checked for suitability for owning and operating a firearm,” he said. “Is it right and proper that people should have ongoing checks for mental health under the guide of community safety and for their own safety? We don’t think so.” Mr Hassell also criticised the Government for what he called a complete lack of consultation with farmers. “After meeting the Minster and entering the bastion of democracy, Dumas House, we were positively told what the changes were going to be. There was no such thing as consultation,” he said. In an opinion piece in last week’s Countryman, WAFarmers chief executive Trevor Whittington said the checks seemed like a good idea but the details would be hard to draft. “Personally, I am not supportive when there are better alternatives out there and the effectiveness of mental health checks is likely to be poor,” he said. “I support the logic of mental health checks, but serious policy work needs to be done to ensure the Government and the community get an outcome commensurate with the costs and inconvenience.” WA will be the first State in Australia to force gun owners to undergo testing to prove they are mentally fit to hold a firearm. It is understood firearm licence holders will be potentially subject to ongoing mental health checks but the details will be subject to consultation with farmers, doctors and mental health bodies.