Leader of The Nationals WA Shane Love MLA has welcomed the decision to extend the Parliamentary Committee inquiry into the Cook Labor Government’s contentious firearms laws, saying it highlights the rushed and chaotic way the laws were introduced.
The Standing Committee on Legislation sought a seven-week extension to the Firearms Act 2024 inquiry in Parliament this week, taking the reporting date from 28 August to 16 October 2025.
Mr Love said the extension was necessary after the Committee received an “extraordinarily high” number of public submissions.
“Despite the inquiry not being widely advertised, more than 2,600 submissions were lodged in less than a month,” Mr Love said.
“That level of response shows just how much community concern exists about Labor’s new heavy-handed laws.”
Mr Love said the initial three-month timeframe was never realistic.
“The three months originally allocated didn’t allow time for a single public hearing with any of the 140 stakeholders identified,” he said.
“While the extension is welcome, this situation was entirely predictable. The Nationals WA had called for a six-month inquiry from the outset to ensure proper scrutiny of the legislation and its impacts, particularly in regional communities who are bearing the brunt of these new laws.”
Mr Love criticised the Cook Labor Government for pushing ahead with the legislation before the inquiry had even begun.
“Labor has arrogantly ignored the concerns of thousands of law-abiding firearms owners by rushing these laws through Parliament, and then trying to implement them before the inquiry had been completed,” he said.
“The sensible approach would have been to pause the regulations – as supported by every party except WA Labor and the Greens – until the Committee had finished its work. Instead, WA Labor has put the cart before the horse, and these laws may now have to be rewritten once the inquiry reports in October.”
Mr Love said the extension gave the Committee more time, but it did nothing to ease the uncertainty facing WA’s firearms community.
“For thousands of law-abiding firearms owners, gun clubs, dealers, and sporting shooters, this drawn-out process is frustrating and unfair,” he said.
“All they are asking for is practical, evidence-based laws and genuine consultation. If the Cook Labor Government had worked with the community from the start, this inquiry would not have been necessary.”
