Newsroom

April 23, 2025

FEDERAL Member for Kennedy Bob Katter has come out swinging after Queensland's Weapons Licensing bureaucrats effectively shut down long-standing ANZAC Day commemorations by historical re-enactment groups, calling it "soulless, tone-deaf bureaucracy at its absolute worst."

Mr Katter was alerted by Robert Finlay—a member of the Australian Living History Federation—that living history groups were being blocked from participating in ANZAC Day and other commemorative events due to shifting interpretations of licensing conditions.

"These are not wild gun fanatics or some fringe mob," Mr Katter said. "These are our ex-servicemen, history enthusiasts, and community volunteers—many of them older veterans—who respectfully reenact military scenes to bring our past to life and honour our fallen.

"And now, some bureaucrat sitting in a Brisbane office has decided they know better than the Minister, better than our RSLs, and better than common sense—and has told them to stop."

The Australian Living History Federation and its member groups have followed the same licensing conditions since 2017, under exemptions MR4 and MR5 of Queensland's weapons licensing framework. These conditions set out the responsibilities for safe, respectful use of blank-fire and replica weapons during public displays.

"Let me be very clear," Mr Katter continued, "there's been no change to the Weapons Act. There's no new regulation. No incident. Just an overzealous department deciding ANZAC Day needs to be micromanaged and possibly cancelled, unless these groups jump through a whole new set of invisible hoops."

Emails from Mr Finlay show that despite providing all required notices and documentation—including safety guidelines and public liability insurance—the group was told they must now seek full approval for events they are merely participating in, not organising. Even attempts to clarify the matter with the Queensland Police Minister's office were brushed aside by Weapons Licensing, who appear unwilling to budge.

"This is bureaucracy gone rogue. And what's worse—it's at the expense of ANZAC Day," Mr Katter said. "We've got crime exploding in regional Queensland and they're worried about a bloke in a slouch hat firing blanks in a tribute parade."

"I'll be taking this to Canberra if it isn't resolved. These people are doing this out of respect, out of patriotism, and out of deep love for this country's history. And it's time our public servants showed a bit of the same."