Queensland Government Faces Backlash Over New Firearm Legislation
The Queensland state government has introduced comprehensive new legislation addressing gun control and hate speech, but the proposals have immediately drawn significant criticism from opposition parties and advocacy groups. The reforms come in response to both the Bondi terror attack and the findings of the Wieambilla coronial inquest, yet key recommendations appear to have been overlooked.
Mental Health Assessment Recommendation Ignored
State Coroner Terry Ryan's investigation into the 2022 Wieambilla shootings, which claimed the lives of police constables Matthew Arnold and Rachel McCrow along with neighbour Alan Dare, specifically recommended that the government consider mandatory mental health assessments for weapons licence applicants. The coroner found that some firearms used in the attack were legally owned despite the perpetrator, Nathaniel Train, suffering from mental illness.
However, the new legislation tabled on Tuesday does not include this requirement. Police Minister Dan Purdie defended the omission by pointing to "issues" with similar systems in Western Australia, where general practitioners have raised concerns about their ability to conduct proper risk assessments.
"I've been told that assessment is better suited to forensic psychologists or forensic psychiatrists, of which we don't have too many scattered across Queensland," Purdie explained.
Opposition Accuses Government of Buckling to Gun Lobby
Shadow Attorney General Meaghan Scanlon launched a scathing attack on the government's position, claiming the Liberal National Party had "clearly buckled to the gun lobby". She highlighted that Queensland had also opted out of the national gun buyback scheme and rejected new restrictions on firearm numbers or types.
"The LNP have ignored the recommendations from the coronial inquest, and they have ignored the families of Rachel McCrow and Matthew Arnold," Scanlon stated. "None of these reforms would actually have prevented the fatalities that occurred in Bondi or Wieambilla."
The families of the slain officers released a statement welcoming any policy changes designed to better protect Queensland Police Service personnel, while continuing to advocate for improved training, communication and protective equipment.
Alternative Measures and Hate Speech Reforms
Instead of mandatory mental health checks, the government has focused on other measures:
- Making it mandatory for public health system carers to report high-risk patients to police
- Simplifying paperwork requirements for firearm prohibition orders
- Investing $5.3 million in drone technology for police
- Improving intelligence-sharing between Queensland and federal police
- Enhancing police communications systems
Concurrently, the government unveiled controversial hate speech reforms granting the Attorney General power to ban specific slogans. Attorney General Deb Frecklington indicated she would use this authority to prohibit phrases including "from the river to the sea" and "globalise the intifada".
Constitutional Concerns and Broader Implications
Constitutional law expert Professor Anne Twomey expressed reservations about the hate speech legislation, noting that prohibiting specific political expressions rather than maintaining content-neutral regulations would require high-level judicial scrutiny.
"On the one hand, the proposed laws permit regulations to be made to prohibit particular expressions," Twomey explained. "As this is not 'content-neutral', but rather directed at specified expressions of political views, it will require high level scrutiny by a court and a compelling reason to survive that constitutional scrutiny."
The legislation also grants police expanded powers to detain and search individuals reasonably suspected of offences without warrants, while protecting a broader range of groups including those defined by religion, sexuality, sex characteristics or gender identity.
Advocacy Groups Express Disappointment
Stephen Bendle, senior advocacy adviser at the Alannah and Madeline Foundation, criticised the government's approach as lacking preventive measures. "There is still nothing in there that goes any way towards preventing firearm violence or reducing the number of firearms in the community, which is what the majority of Queenslanders expect," he stated.
Justice for Palestine has indicated it is considering legal action to challenge the hate speech laws, setting the stage for potential constitutional battles over freedom of expression in Queensland.
