$39 MILLION UPLIFT TO NSW FIREARMS REGISTRY ANNOUNCED

The Minns Labor Government is today announcing a major $39.3 million uplift to the NSW Firearms Registry to implement changes to firearm licencing intended to help keep the community safe.

Following the antisemitic terror attack at Bondi Beach in which 15 innocent people were killed, the NSW Government introduced the toughest firearms laws in the country to strengthen oversight, reduce risk and reduce the number of guns in the community.

Key elements of the reforms include reducing the licence period from five years to two, strengthening checks on people seeking to own firearms, conducting a comprehensive audit of all existing firearm licences and capping the number of firearms a person can own.

The $39.3 million investment will fund additional staff and system upgrades so the NSW Firearms Registry can effectively implement these changes.

The funding includes 22 additional registry staff to:

• Process licence renewals
• Support and strengthen the “genuine reason” checks required as part of each licence renewal
• Support expanded reporting obligations for clubs and licence holders regarding membership and participation
• Review new licence application requirements, including Australian citizenship

The NSW Firearms Registry will begin recruiting for these positions shortly and roles will be filled as soon as possible.

The uplift builds on a suite of reforms from the Minns Labor Government to strengthen policing capabilities in NSW and better protect the community including:

• Delivering a once-in-a-generation pay rise for police officers
• Paying recruits to train at the Goulburn Police Academy, resulting in a 70% increase in applications to join the NSWPF
• Establishing the ‘Be a Cop In Your Hometown’ program
• Establishing the Professional Mobility Program to attract experienced officers from interstate and New Zealand
• Establishing the Cadet Traineeship Program to create a new early pathway into policing
• Establishing the Health, Safety and Wellbeing Command to support officers across their careers

Minister for Police and Counter-terrorism Yasmin Catley said:

“Today we are backing Australia's toughest firearms’ reforms with the resources needed to make it happen.

“This $39.3 million investment will deliver 22 extra staff for the Firearms Registry so these reforms can be implemented - strengthening checks, improving oversight and supporting the practical work needed to reduce risk across the state.

“We introduced the toughest gun law reforms in a generation following the worst terror attack our country has seen and today we are making sure the system has the people and capacity to deliver them."