Newsroom

July 17, 2025

Katter’s Australian Party (KAP) Deputy Leader and Hinchinbrook MP Nick Dametto has thrown his support behind suggested reform of the Weapons Licensing Branch (WLB), following the raw findings handed down in the Commissioner’s 100-Day Review of the Queensland Police Service – Final Report.^[1]

Mr Dametto said the report confirmed what many law-abiding firearm owners and industry advocates have been saying for years, that the current system is broken and the Queensland Police Service (QPS) is not the right department to manage weapons licensing in this state.

“For too long, the WLB has tried to navigate their way with outdated systems and on-the-fly policies, and the flow-on effect is that everyday Queenslanders are suffering delays, confusion and inconsistent decision-making,” he said.

“It is clear the WLB is failing police, failing the public and most importantly, failing the law-abiding firearm community who do everything they can to try and remain compliant amongst the chaos and unpredictability of the WLB.

“I back the Commissioner’s sensible proposal to move weapons licensing functions out of QPS. With the right industry-specific training, there is no reason why an alternative, independent department could not take carriage of weapons licensing in Queensland.

“The KAP has advocated tirelessly on behalf of Queensland shooters for many years, and over that time there has been no significant improvements within the weapons licensing regime. They still rely heavily on a clunky, hybrid model of online and paper-based systems dependent on manual data entry.

“There is no good reason why a Permit to Acquire should take weeks to process. With modern technology and the right systems in place, that process and approval should be close to instant, similar to registering a motor vehicle. Firearm dealers and police should have access to live, real-time data.

“I think we’d all agree that police officers should spend their valuable time policing and actually protecting the community. Not bogged down with an administrative system that is so flawed it does little to protect anyone and only serves as a burden to law-abiding firearm owners.”

The Commissioner’s report also raised the possibility of legislative changes to the Weapons Act 1990, including splitting the current Act into a dedicated ‘Firearms Act’ for licensing and administration, and a ‘Weapons Act’ for enforcement provisions.

Mr Dametto warned that such a major legislative overhaul must be approached with caution.

“The State Government would be foolish not to learn from past mistakes and fail to undertake proper consultation with Queensland’s firearms and shooting community,” he said.

“Stakeholders such as Shooters Union Australia, the Firearm Dealers Association Queensland, and other key groups must have a seat at the table if the Government chooses this pathway and is serious about getting it right.

“My KAP colleagues and I will be keeping a close eye on this process to ensure there are no knee-jerk decisions or rushed reforms that end up punishing responsible firearm owners.”

^[1] See pages 32 – 34. https://www.police.qld.gov.au/sites/default/files/2025-07/Commissioners-100-Day-Review-Queensland-Police-Service-Final-Report.pdf