Gel Blasters

The Hon. G.G. BROCK (Frome) (15:03): A supplementary question to the minister: I cannot understand why they have been able to be available to the public for so long without any restrictions, then all of a sudden the stuff you have purchased in that period of time is now illegal.

The SPEAKER: Well, member for Frome, that strikes me as a statement. I will give the minister the opportunity to respond. The minister is seeking the call.

The Hon. V.A. TARZIA (Hartley—Minister for Police, Emergency Services and Correctional Services) (15:03): I thank the honourable member for the question. Again, I am more than happy to meet with the member for Frome or any of his constituents who are affected by these new rules. Obviously, as I said, it is an operational decision and it has been taken and made by South Australian police. I thank the opposition.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. V.A. TARZIA: I thank the Labor Party, actually, because I know that the member for Elizabeth on talkback radio last week was calling for regulation, and I believe the Hon. Kyam Maher in the other place also has called for regulation. Obviously, regulation was the right step to take.

As I said, this is a decision that has had to be taken on balance having regard to commercial interests but also, most importantly, having regard to community safety. We would all agree that community safety has to come first. We also know that a number of people have had these gel items, projectiles, fired at them as well. I was not going to stand here as minister and allow that to keep happening without any kind of regulation. It was only a matter of time, in my humble opinion. I want to thank South Australia Police for the good work they do.

Heaven forbid if someone went into a cafe or a service station; as late as even last week, they could have walked in with one of these objects. They do imitate firearms. We could have had an absolute tragedy and an absolute travesty if unfortunately police in the line of duty had to respond. We could have had fatal consequences. I certainly was not going to allow that to happen, and I am very grateful to the police for continuing to monitor this in a safe way. Obviously, advice has also differed over time, member for Frome. What may have been said a long time ago is different from recent times, and of course these objects and these items have evolved over time.

As was pointed out in a press conference during the week, some of these objects are quite similar to the real thing. Very few people, even firearm experts in fact, may be able to differentiate between a gel blaster and some of these semiautomatic weapons. The fact is it is a decision that I know has not been taken lightly, member for Frome. I do make the commitment to work with your constituents and work with your businesses but, as I said, it was certainly not a decision that was taken lightly.

As for this whole notion that no-one was given any notice, it is a difficult decision but, as I have pointed out, in many jurisdictions around Australia these are actually banned. We did not want to go down that path. We did not want to ban them because I promise you if we did ban them that certainly would have had the capability to destroy the industry. We have said that they need to be regulated. They are being regulated. Let's get on board, let's move on and let's work with South Australia Police to ensure that they can talk to those businesses to ensure viability moving forward.