- Published:
- Thursday 8 February 2018
Victoria Police now have the laws they need to tackle organised crime thanks to the Andrews Labor Government’s Firearm Prohibition Order regime, which today successfully passed the Parliament.
Despite the desperate attempts of the Liberals and Matthew Guy to weaken and water down these powers to protect the interest of organised crime - community safety has prevailed and the interests of Victorians have won out.
These tough new laws are what Victoria Police need tackle serious and organised crime. The Government's intent is for the Firearm Prohibition Order regime to be in place as soon as possible with intensive work on policy and guidelines already underway in Victoria Police.
The Bill will also introduce powerful new offences to deal with offenders who commit drive-by shootings, as well as cracking down on illegal firearm manufacturing.
In what proves once and for all that Matthew Guy is in the pocket of organised crime, the Liberals put forward, and voted for several amendments on Monday that would limit police powers and offer greater opportunity for criminals to avoid police scrutiny.
In a win for community safety and a blow against organised crime, Matthew Guy’s dangerous amendments were defeated.
These new laws have been described as a game changer when it comes to fighting organised crime and have always been about targeting those who seek to use or acquire illegal firearms and cause harm.
The bill also improves the licensing and regulation of legal firearms and legitimate firearm activity including
- Improvements to the legitimate advertising of legal firearms online
- Providing better opportunity for individuals to participate in supervised pistol shoots
- Streamlining the transition between junior and adult firearms licences to bridge the gap between the two.
Quotes attributable to Minister for Police Lisa Neville
“These tough new laws are what police asked for and now we have delivered them – we know they will be a game changer in driving down harm in the community.”
“We’re working with Victoria Police to get these laws up and in place in coming months – and will have them live as soon as possible.”
“The Liberal Party’s amendments and attempts to water down the Bill clearly proves that Matthew Guy is more concerned with protecting the civil liberties of his mobster mates than community safety.”