A major overlooked impact of the Labor Governments rapid and vapid Firearms Inquiry is the calamitous effect it will have on the overall health of those in regional WA.
Under the legislation which was introduced before the Inquiry reported back (try and work that out), those wishing to hold a firearms license must front-up to a GP for a general health assessment called a Firearms Authority Health Assessments (FAHA).
This assessment puts the onus on doctors to try and gauge whether, say, a farmer or a professional shooter, is healthy enough to hold a license. Even if they have safely owned and operated a firearm for decades.
As many of the 2670 submissions made clear, this new layer of regulation will only create an environment in which firearm owners are tempted to hide their mental health status for fear of being turned down – and “turned in.”
Furthermore, the Assessment has the potential to create mental health stress where none currently exists.
To ask busy GPs to provide individual health assessments to the police is patently absurd. It is akin to asking mechanics to start reporting people who they think are dangerous drivers.
The Nationals were amongst the first to support the Law Reform Commission’s review of Firearms laws in place prior to the Firearms Act 2024.
We took the view that if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it.
Instead, the Labor Government used the Floreat shooting tragedy as a pretext to rush through more regulation. It was a textbook political stunt.
The fact is, the Police already had the powers to prevent the Floreat tragedy. They just failed to use them.
More red tape was superfluous and not supported by medical expertise.
The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) raised a multitude of problems which remain unaddressed, the basis of which is that risk assessments are inherently uncertain and unreliable in predicting future risk.
They maintain that no evidence exists to say they work.
Additionally, the Royal College submitted that:
• Health Assessments undermine existing GP-patient relationships, prompting patients to potentially avoid or delay seeking medical help for fear of losing their licence.
• With more than 80,000 licence holders in the State (half residing in rural areas), firearms assessments add significant workload to an already stretched rural GP workforce which accounts for only 20 per cent of WA GPs.
• Firearms licenses are not covered by Medicare, forcing applicants to bear the cost of their assessment which, depending on complexity, may be substantial.
• GPs may need to refer individuals to non-GP specialists (psychiatrists, geriatricians, physicians, occupational health providers), for further assessment. Long wait times in rural and public settings will compromise the entire process.
• Despite assurances from the Cook Labor Government that doctors are protected from civil or criminal liability, medical practitioners suspect they will be forced to defend clinical decision-making in the courts – potentially years after decisions have been made. On that note, an RACGP poll conducted amongst 1,300 doctors last year found that 80 per cent were unlikely to participate in the process.
The pro-Government weighted Firearms Inquiry Committee completely dismissed the concerns of this learned and reputable stakeholder audience: namely, Doctors and Mental Health Commissioner, Maureen Lewis.
The only positive development is the Inquiry’s recommendation to refer the Report to a reconvened Health Assessment Working Group.
This week, I moved a motion which calls on the Government to implement all of the Firearm Committee’s recommendations, particularly those related to health.
As it stands, there are deep structural flaws in the rushed firearms reforms, and they need to be ironed out so honest, law-abiding firearms owners are not treated like common criminals.
Regional gun owners have enough on their plates without having to subject themselves to unnecessary and laborious assessments. And regional doctors, already a rare and diminishing species, need more work like a hole in the head.
