Minister for Justice response to CrimTrac question
17 March 1999
Ms Jill Hall MP
Federal Member for Shortland
P O Box 171
Charlestown NSW 2290
Dear Ms Hall,
I refer to your letter to the Prime Minister of 20 January 1999 on behalf of your constituent Mr (deleted) concerning CrimTrac. The Parliamentary Secretary to Cabinet, Senator Heffernan forwarded a copy of your letter to me as I have portfolio responsibility for firearms.
The government's election commitment to fund the development of CrimTrac should not be misunderstood by some holders of firearm Licences.
CrimTrac will be a mechanism that provides police with access to current information on persons, objects and events of interest on a national basis. Person, objects and events of interest to police are varied and include details of registered firearms, missing persons and details of motor vehicles, as well as information on charged and/or convicted persons. Rapid access to such information is essential for police to serve the community in an effective manner.
All Australian Governments agree, in November 1996, as part of a series of national firearms' reforms, to the establishment of a national firearms licensing and registration system (NFLRS). The NFLRS is currently being developed at the request of the Australasian Police Ministers' Council, and when completed will provide police with easier and quicker access to details of licence holders and registered firearms currently available from individual State and Territory firearms registries. All Australian police services currently access individual State and Territory firearms registries. The NFLRS as part of CrimTrac will facilitate quicker and more accurate access.
The NFLRS is not, however, a criminal database. Individual records on the NFLRS simply note possession of a firearm licence and details of any registered firearms. Inclusion of a person on the NFLRS is not, nor ever has been, an indicator of criminality. On the contrary, an applicant for a firearm licence must meet strict criminal history requirements before being granted a firearm licence and being recorded on the NFLRS. There is no record on the NFLRS of whether or not a person has committed an offence, or had their fingerprints taken or had their DNA profile recorded following a criminal conviction. The NFLRS is a record keeping system; one that helps to protect the public from unauthorised access to firearms while helping to protect the integrity and reputation of genuine law abiding firearms licence holders. This approach will not change with the development of CrimTrac.
I trust the above information is helpful in responding to your constituent.
Yours sincerely,
(signed)
Amanda Vanstone
copy held SSAA National
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