The federal Attorney-General’s Department has begun engaging with national bodies and advocacy groups on a National Firearms Register (NFR).
States and territories will engage interested parties at a local level.
The register was allocated $161m in the 2024-25 Commonwealth Budget to deliver the NFR.
Of this, $102m will help states and territories uplift their respective firearms registries into the digitised NFR.
The NFR is not a registry but a shared virtual register that draws information from existing registries, portals and management systems to make them available to police.
While the federal government advises the key NFR program’s focus is national consistency, it does not introduce a single national law for firearms regulation.
However, it will increase legislative and regulatory consistency across all jurisdictions.
Gun Control Australia will be involved throughout the process and advocate for registry arrangements that prioritise community safety.