WA farmers and pastoralists are calling for more clarity and engagement to primary producers over the drafting of the new Firearms act.
Pastoralists and Graziers' Association of WA (PGA) president Tony Seabrook said while the agricultural and pastoral industries recognised the need for positive outcomes that would ensure public safety, the new act needs to protect the legitimate use of firearms by farmers and pastoralists (primary producers) as well.
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"Whether used for vermin control, dispatching sick or diseased stock, or for safety during mustering, firearms are important and necessary tools for farmers and pastoralists," Mr Seabrook said.
"It is important that any review of the existing firearms legislation will not restrict the ability of farmers and pastoralists to acquire and safely use legal firearms in their daily activities, whilst ensuring the highest level of public safety.
"So far there has been limited engagement with the agricultural and pastoral industries over the new laws, including no consultation over the recent announcement by the Police Minister of mandatory mental health assessments for all firearms licence holders.
"While it is easy to support the logic behind mental health assessments for firearms licence holders, the practicality of implementing such a policy raises numerous questions, especially for regional and rural licence holders.
"Who will be doing these checks - will it be local GP's or psychologists?
"What will be the frequency of the checks - will it be annually, when renewing your licence, or every other month? Will there be a right of appeal against an assessment? Will there be a tiered system of mental health issues?"
Mr Seabrook believed medical assessments for mental health were notoriously subjective, and any suggestion that mental health checks would reduce shooting fatalities was a very long bow to draw.
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"Given the already perilous state of our health system, especially in the regions, how practical will it be for 80,000 firearms licence holders to visit either a GP or a p[sychologist each year to conduct an assessment?" he said.
"And at what cost?
"The McGowan government needs to engage fully and provide more clarity over these changes to primary producers to ensure that we have a fair firearms licensing regime that provides community safety whilst not restricting primary producers from acquiring and using firearms in their daily activities."
