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Aaron Bunch

Tougher gun laws, task force to tackle family violence

Domestic violence offenders may be stripped of their right to hold a West Australian gun licence. (Joel Carrett/AAP PHOTOS)

Domestic violence offenders could be stripped of their right to hold a West Australian firearms licence, as the Cook government rewrites the state's gun laws.

A task force and a lived experience advisory group will also be set up to ensure victims' voices are "front and centre in policy-making”, Premier Roger Cook said.

"We know there is always more to do to support victim-survivors and hold perpetrators to account," he said on Tuesday.

The advisory task force, which will be time-limited to six months, was a key request from a recent family and domestic violence forum.

It will consider and advise the government on other priorities put forward at the talks and also examine the broader system, with a view to improving victim-survivor safety and perpetrator accountability.

It will be co-chaired by Noongar woman Professor Colleen Hayward - the former ambassador for the Commissioner for Children and Young People - and Department of Premier and Cabinet director-general Emily Roper.

Mr Cook also announced that family and domestic violence perpetrators, and other violent offenders, will be prevented from holding or retaining a firearm licence in a bid to improve safety for domestic violence victims.

The nature of the crime the offender is guilty of will determine the period of disqualification.

"So for those convicted of more serious offences, they will be banned for a longer period of time from holding a gun license," Mr Cook said.

Disqualification periods will start when an offender is released from custody.

The proposed laws will also be rolled out retrospectively with offenders already under family and domestic violence orders set to also be banned.

The changes will prevent people who are the subject of a violence restraining order or a family violence restraining order from holding or retaining a gun license.

They are part of a broader "significant" rewrite of WA's Firearms Act that Mr Cook said would be unveiled later in 2023.

Previous changes prevented declared serial family violence offenders from owning firearms.

"There's no overnight fix in relation to family and domestic violence," Mr Cook said.

"This is an issue that we as a community will continue to have to address for a period to come."

WA Liberal leader Libby Mettam said the proposed gun law amendments had been announced previously and the WA government was "scrambling to appear" as if it is taking action on domestic violence.

"We need to see more urgency when it comes to the Cook Labor government's response to family and domestic violence," she said.

There are about 60,000 domestic violence-related police call-outs and 70,000 requests for welfare checks in WA each year.

Police have said the number of reported family and domestic violence incidents is growing.

The state was shocked in recent months by a series of domestic violence incidents.

These included the deaths of Georgia Lyall, who was allegedly killed by her former partner in a suspected murder-suicide, and Meretta Kickett, whose severely injured body was found in her Perth home, triggering grief and outrage across the community.

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