Firearms Licences

The Hon. T.J. STEPHENS (14:50): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Police a question regarding firearms licences.

Leave granted.

The Hon. T.J. STEPHENS: It has been reported to me that the Firearms Branch, with its site inspections over particularly the last six months, have taken on a much more sympathetic approach to licensed firearms owners and are using what I can only say seems to be a great deal more common sense than perhaps they once did. However, the SAPOL website states that licence applications submitted by 16 October 2015 are only being processed now. My question is: why is this the case and does it mean that applications lodged now won't be processed until June 2016?

The Hon. P. MALINAUSKAS (Minister for Police, Minister for Correctional Services, Minister for Emergency Services, Minister for Road Safety) (14:51): I thank the honourable member for his important question. The house should be aware of the fact that a great degree of effort and work has been undertaken, as I am sure the honourable member is aware, to improve the dialogue and regular communication between the SAPOL Firearms Branch and the firearms community at large. I think that was self-evident only last Saturday when I attended the Sporting Shooters Association's regular quarterly meeting, in conjunction with leaders from SAPOL's Firearms Branch, and witnessed firsthand the productivity resulting from that improved relationship.

Your concern regarding the slowness in dealing with various applications and response from SAPOL is a legitimate question and one that is widely acknowledged by SAPOL. There is no doubt in the government's mind and in the minds of SAPOL and the firearms community that there is room for improvement around the expediency that can be undertaken in order to get people a response to their licence applications back in due course.

I am advised that a contributing factor to what can be seen as a lengthy process is the relatively old computer systems and processes that exist within SAPOL. SAPOL is currently in the process of undertaking a substantial review, looking at ways that those old legacy systems within IT can be updated, with a specific view to be able to speed up what is at the moment essentially a paperwork-driven process. That is work we are actively involved in and monitoring. The government is continuously assessing how it can improve the funding of such upgrades to IT within SAPOL to improve its IT, not just within the area of the Firearms Branch but more broadly.

This is something about which there is a degree of awareness in my mind, in my office and in the government more broadly and in SAPOL. I am satisfied that SAPOL is committed to being able to speed up the process so that licensed firearms users, who are simply trying to do the right thing by having firearms registered and obtaining appropriate licences before they undertake the use of those weapons, can get an adequate and quick response, just as we have been able to improve the relationship between SAPOL and the way it deals with people who use firearms accordingly.