Firearms Licences

The Hon. J.A. DARLEY (14:57): In respect of my first question, as I have said, I have been provided with times ranging from six to eight months to get a licence. Can you comment on that?

The Hon. P. MALINAUSKAS (Minister for Police, Minister for Correctional Services, Minister for Emergency Services, Minister for Road Safety) (14:57): Not being familiar with the specific circumstances that the Hon. Mr Darley is referring to, it is probably difficult for me to be able to make a specific comment. What I would say generally is that we would hope that all applications that are rudimentary are being dealt with in a manner that is efficient. I think one would reasonably expect a quicker time line than the one you have outlined, but not knowing the specific circumstances that you are referring to with respect to the application that you are referring to, it is difficult for me to make a comment.

There is no attempt on behalf of the government to suggest that the system that has recently been in place is perfect; we acknowledge that there is work that needs to be done. We are not seeking to avoid scrutiny in that respect. We, as a government, and SAPOL are putting efforts in place to ensure that we can try to improve the process, as I have outlined, and that is something that we remain committed to. With respect to the Hon. Mr Darley's specific question, I am not in a position to answer it by virtue of the fact that it is in regard to a very specific application.