Mitch Fifield (Victoria, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Social Services) Share this | Hansard source

On behalf of the Minister for Justice, I indicate that the government was concerned that a significant number of high-capacity, lever-action shotguns were shortly due to start arriving in Australia. These lever-action shotguns have a magazine capacity of seven rounds that can be discharged rapidly using a lever reloading action. The government has moved to temporarily prohibit the importation of live-action shotguns with a magazine capacity of more than five rounds until the review of the National Firearms Agreement is completed early next year.

Consultation with industry and the licensed shooters will be vital to produce sensible reforms as the government reviews the technical elements of the NFA. As the government announced yesterday, as part of that consultation process we will establish an industry reference group to provide advice to the government and the Firearms and Weapons Policy Working Group—which comprises representatives of all Australian governments—on the technical elements of the NFA. This will be in addition to other stakeholder consultation that the working group and Mr Keenan will conduct.