Committee Details

COMMITTEE'S CONSIDERATION

In its Report No. 13, 57th Parliament – Annual Report 2020-21, tabled on 18 October 2021, the committee reported on its consideration of Auditor-General’s reports referred to it, including Auditor-General Report 8: 2020-21 Regulating firearms. The committee did not resolve to hold further inquiries into these audit reports and made no recommendations to the Legislative Assembly.

Overview

Role of the Auditor-General

The role of the Queensland Auditor-General (QAO) is to provide Parliament with independent assurance of public sector accountability and performance, achieved through reporting to Parliament on the results of its financial and performance audits.

About the Auditor-General Report

View: Auditor-General's Report to Parliament 8: 2020-21 Regulating firearms

The type of licence a person requires depends on the reason it is needed (eg. for employment or sport) and the type of firearm needed. In Queensland, more than 10 different types of licences are available for firearms and other weapons. At 31 December 2019, 185,742 people in Queensland held current firearms licences and 829,743 firearms were registered. The number of people holding firearms licences has increased by 12 per cent and the number of registered firearms has increased by 17 per cent since December 2015.

The Queensland Police Service (QPS) Weapons Licensing Unit is responsible, in cooperation with other areas of the QPS such as local police, for managing firearm licence holders and firearms in Queensland.

The objective of the QAO’s audit was to assess whether QPS effectively regulates the acquisition, possession, use and disposal of registered firearms to ensure community safety.

The audit concluded that the QPS could regulate the acquisition, possession, use and disposal of registered firearms more effectively for greater community protection.

The Auditor-General’s report recommended that the Queensland Police Service:

1. evaluate system options to provide a fit-for-purpose Weapons Licensing Management System (firearms register) to ensure timely and accurate recording and transfer of all firearms and licence holders’ information
2. implement appropriate controls to ensure firearm licence decisions are consistent and made in accordance with relevant standards
3. review the Weapons Act 1990 to identify opportunities for improvement, with greater focus on public safety
4. develop clear policy on the role firearm regulation plays in balancing community safety with the rights of applicants and licence holders, particularly regarding public interest
5. enhance integration of its weapons licensing systems with its Queensland Police Reporting Information Management Exchange System to enable it to monitor firearm licence holders more effectively
6. supplement its random firearm inspections with targeted risk-based inspections
7. expand the focus of its compliance monitoring program to include a more comprehensive assessment of firearm owners and their ongoing suitability to possess firearms
8. establish processes to ensure all identified non-compliance and licence holder suitability is monitored, reported, and actioned within a reasonable timeframe
9. proactively inspect shooting ranges to ensure compliance with relevant standards. This should include creating an electronic register of persons that use firearms at shooting ranges to ensure they are appropriately vetted
10. ensure that it is immediately notified electronically of the sale, transfer, and disposal of firearms by amending the Weapons Regulation 2016 to allow electronic notification of ownership/disposal transactions and to require all dealers to implement systems for the electronic transfer of firearms by sale, transfer, acquisition and disposal
11. develop a proactive compliance program for audits and inspections to ensure it regulates dealers effectively
12. monitor the transfer of interstate firearms to ensure the location and ownership of firearms in Queensland is accurately captured in the firearms register
13. eliminate the backlog of firearm transfer forms to ensure the location of firearms in the firearms register is up to date and accurate.

Referral to Committee 

Standing Order 194B provides that the Committee of the Legislative Assembly shall as soon as practicable after a report of the Auditor-General is tabled in the Assembly refer that report to the relevant portfolio committee(s) for consideration. 

The committee is responsible under section 94 of the Parliament of Queensland Act 2001 for assessing the integrity, economy, efficiency and effectiveness of government financial management by examining government financial documents and considering reports of the Auditor-General.

The Committee of the Legislative Assembly referred this Auditor-General report to the committee on 3 December 2020.