The anguish and heartache felt across WA this week following the tragic murders in Floreat cannot be overstated.
Last Friday, Mark Bombara shot and killed Jennifer Petelczyc and her daughter Gretl, suspecting them of providing shelter to his former partner.
The Opposition stands with the community in condemning these attacks and demanding strong action against perpetrators of family and domestic violence.
In the aftermath, the Cook-Papalia spin machine went into overdrive, blaming WA’s current firearms laws and the Opposition.
The Police Minister downplayed suggestions that WA Police knew about Bombara’s firearms or the threat he posed. However, as more information emerges, it’s clear the Police Minister did not gather the facts.
It took the courageous actions of Ariel Bombara to cut through the noise and deliver the truth.
On three separate occasions, Ariel contacted police, pleading for help to protect her and her mother from her violent father. She informed them of his extensive firearms collection, including a missing handgun, and requested a 72-hour temporary protection order.
These warnings were shamefully ignored.
The Police Minister owes it to all Western Australians, especially to the Bombara and Petelczyc families, explain what WA Police knew, and why they chose not to act. He also owes them an apology for trying to spin their tragedy into political point-scoring.
Police Commissioner Col Blanch must also provide answers.
While he has promised an internal investigation, the public deserve to know when this investigation will be completed, and if its findings will be made public.
And will this investigation examine the culture of WA Police regarding family and domestic
violence?
We’ve heard from Ariel and countless others that WA Police have a disgraceful history of not taking family and domestic violence seriously. In Ariel’s own words, her interactions with WA Police left her feeling “completely helpless.”
In a media interview this week, Commissioner Blanch stated: “On all three interactions, police did exactly what their policy says they should do.”
If that is the case, then clearly the policy setting is wrong. Will these policies be examined and improved upon?
The Bombara family sought a 72-hour temporary protection order, but WA Police claimed insufficient evidence. Legal Aid WA debunked this, stating that police have the discretion to provide temporary protection if they have welfare concerns.
And had this protection order been granted, could it have empowered the Bombara family to pursue further restraining orders, potentially removing firearms from a lethal individual?
Why was Ariel never given the opportunity to raise her concerns with a female officer or a member of the family and domestic violence response team?
While we support an internal investigation by WA Police, the Opposition also believes an independent inquiry must be undertaken by the Corruption and Crime Commission to ensure all these matters are investigated, and to prevent similar situations in the future.
Even in the face of tragedy, WA Police deflect blame, pointing the finger at the State Administrative Tribunal.
Commissioner Blanch claimed “we have taken many cases to the State Administrative Tribunal that we have lost and have had to hand back those firearms.”
What he didn’t disclose is that over 98 per cent of the time, firearms removed due to family and domestic violence are not returned.
Of the 415 firearms which were revoked or suspended because of family and domestic violence from October 2022 to October 2023, only seven were returned by the SAT.
This is a powerful tool should have been used to remove Bombara’s firearms moment police knew he was a threat.
The Commissioner argued for stronger penalties for those breaching violence restraining orders – something the Opposition and community support. So why hasn’t this been prioritised?
In 2023, perpetrators breached violence restraining orders on over 10,000 occasions, while police attended more than 58,000 family and domestic violence incidents – the worst on record.
These statistics make WA the family and domestic violence capital of Australia, yet this Government focuses its attention and resources on an ideological war against law-abiding firearms owners.
With just 11 weeks of Parliament left before the State Election, the Cook Labor Government is running out of time to deliver on its promised coercive control laws.
The State Budget offers no funding for promised GPS tracking for FDV perpetrators.
And where is the funding for organisations like the Women’s Legal Service WA turned away 2,000 women last year, and continues to turn away up to 100 women a week seeking support to escape family violence?
Ariel Bombara wants answers, and she deserves them. The Opposition will use our role in Parliament to seek answers on behalf of the Bombara and Petelczyc families, and on behalf of the WA community.
Enough is enough
