26 February 2026
Felix Ellis, Minister for Police, Fire and Emergency Management
Stronger laws to keep firearms out of the hands of terrorists and criminals were endorsed at the inaugural meeting of the Tasmanian Government’s Firearm Consultative Committee.
Delivering an election commitment, the Committee was established to work with the Government on a long-term basis regarding firearm regulation and public safety.
Committee Chair and Minister for Police, Fire and Emergency Management, Felix Ellis, thanked members for their constructive participation.
“Despite diverse perspectives, the strong consensus on the most important community safety reforms shows that there is far more that unites us than divides us,” Minister Ellis said.
“The Committee has endorsed a suite of strong measures to keep firearms out of the wrong hands, including the expanded use of criminal intelligence in firearms licensing, and legislative amendments to fast-track the National Firearms Register.
“Tasmania is leading the country in delivering the Register, and our Government's highest priority remains accelerating the work to strengthen intelligence sharing.”
The Committee also endorsed tougher penalties for firearm theft and possession of stolen firearms, and making Australian citizenship the default eligibility requirement for a firearms licence.
The Official Communique can be found here