1. Question No. 1—Justice (Firearms)CAMERON LUXTON (ACT) to the Associate Minister of Justice (Firearms)ORAL QUESTIONSQUESTIONS TO MINISTERSQuestion No. 1—Justice (Firearms)1. CAMERON LUXTON (ACT) to the Associate Minister of Justice (Firearms): What information if any has she seen concerning firearms seizures?Hon NICOLE McKEE (Associate Minister of Justice (Firearms)): Data released by Police under the Official Information Act has revealed that only 123 of the 6571 firearms seized by police between January 2020 to November 2023 could be traced back to permits recorded on the police National Intelligence Application. The fact that the vast majority of seized firearms cannot be matched with a permit is deeply concerning and raises questions about the effectiveness of the firearms registry. These firearms that are legally held by gangs and criminals will not be captured by the firearms registry yet law-abiding licensed firearm owners still have to bear the burden of additional regulation.SPEAKER: Excuse me. Actually that was a very long answer so I'll ask the Minister in future just to contain them slightly. Cameron Luxton: Was any other data released that calls into question the effectiveness of the firearms registry?Hon NICOLE McKEE: Yes 65 percent of firearms seized by police in 2023 and 62 percent of firearms seized in 2022 had no recorded serial number. This suggests that criminals are using firearms that are either illegally imported manufactured or intentionally stripped of serial numbers making them untraceable. The firearms registry would be unable to capture these illegally held or manufactured firearms.Cameron Luxton: What other data has she seen?Hon NICOLE McKEE: Ninety-four percent of people who were present at or subject to a search by police in which firearms were seized last year did not possess a firearms licence. The gangs and criminals are carrying and using firearms illegally and they're circumventing the firearms registry. Licensed firearms owners are not the problem. That's why the Government is committed to targeting firearms illegally held by the gangs.Hon Dr Duncan Webb: Will the Minister bring an open mind to her review of the firearms registry or has she an utterly predetermined approach to the usefulness of it?Hon NICOLE McKEE: The intention of the review is to be able to look at all data that is presented to those that are reviewing it. That would be an open mind.Cameron Luxton: Why has this Government committed to reviewing the firearms registry?Hon NICOLE McKEE: This Government has—in the ACT and National coalition agreement—committed to reviewing the firearms registry starting before June 2024. The registry needs to be evaluated to determine whether it is improving public safety in comparison to other options such as targeting illegally manufactured or imported firearms. We also need to determine if any changes to the registry could make it more effective in preventing firearms from falling into the hands of criminals. A comprehensive review will improve insights into the effectiveness of the current registry.SPEAKER: I appreciate that was a primary question to the Minister but a little more concise approach in the future would be very helpful to the House's fluid operation.