{"id":"F2025L00518","name":"Mutual Recognition (Automatic Deemed Registration Exemption — Western Australia) (Firearms) Declaration 2025","slug":"mutual-recognition-automatic-deemed-registration-exemption-western-australia-firearms-declaration-20","collection":"legislative_instrument","jurisdiction":"commonwealth","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":442829,"registerId":"F2025L00518-fast-fetch-1775957757913","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-12","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"Mutual Recognition (Automatic Deemed Registration Exemption — Western Australia) (Firearms) Declaration 2025","content":"---\nmeta-content-style-type: text/css\nmeta-content-type: application/xhtml+xml; charset=utf-8\n---\n\n![Commonwealth Coat of Arms of Australia](image.001.jpeg)\n\n \n\nMutual Recognition (Automatic Deemed Registration Exemption — Western Australia) (Firearms) Declaration 2025\n\nI, the Honourable Roger Cook MLA, Premier of Western Australia, make the following declaration.\n\nDated 02 April 2025\n\nHon Roger Cook MLA\n\nPremier of Western Australia\n\n \n\nContents\n\n1  Name\n\n2  Commencement\n\n3  Authority\n\n4  Definitions\n\n5  Registrations exempted from automatic deemed registration\n\n6  Schedules\n\nSchedule 1—Amendment related to repeal of the Firearms Act 1973 of Western Australia\n\nMutual Recognition (Automatic Deemed Registration Exemption — Western Australia) Declaration 2022\n\n \n\n1  Name\n\n  This instrument is the Mutual Recognition (Automatic Deemed Registration Exemption — Western Australia) (Firearms) Declaration 2025.\n\n2  Commencement\n\n (1) Each provision of this instrument specified in column 1 of the table commences, or is taken to have commenced, in accordance with column 2 of the table. Any other statement in column 2 has effect according to its terms.\n\n \n\n- Commencement information\n- Column 1 Column 2 Column 3\n- Provisions Commencement Date/Details\n- 1. The whole of this instrument The later of:(a) the day after this instrument is registered; and(b) 31 March 2025.\n\n\nNote: This table relates only to the provisions of this instrument as originally made. It will not be amended to deal with any later amendments of this instrument.\n\n (2) Any information in column 3 of the table is not part of this instrument. Information may be inserted in this column, or information in it may be edited, in any published version of this instrument.\n\n3  Authority\n\n  This instrument is made under subsection 42S(1) of the Mutual Recognition Act 1992.\n\n4  Definitions\n\n  In this instrument:\n\nAct means the Mutual Recognition Act 1992.\n\n5  Registrations exempted from automatic deemed registration\n\n (1) For the purposes of subsection 42S(1) of the Act, the registrations specified in column 1 of the table are excluded from the operation of automatic deemed registration in Western Australia.\n\n (2) The statement set out in column 2 of the table explains, under subsection 42S(2) of the Act, the significant risk to consumer protection, the environment, animal welfare or the health or safety of workers or the public on which basis the Minister is satisfied that the exclusion of the registrations in column 1 is necessary.\n\n \n\n- Exempted registrations\n- Column 1 Column 2\n- Registration Statement explaining significant risk\n- 1. A firearm authority under the Firearms Act 2024 of Western Australia that is a registration for an occupation or for an activity covered by an occupation Automatic deemed registration in relation to these registrations would remove critical identity and security checks that could lead to the unverified and unregulated sale of firearms in Western Australia, which could put the public at significant risk.\n\n\n6  Schedules\n\n  Each instrument that is specified in a Schedule to this instrument is amended or repealed as set out in the applicable items in the Schedule concerned, and any other item in a Schedule to this instrument has effect according to its terms.\n\nSchedule 1—Amendment related to repeal of the Firearms Act 1973 of Western Australia\n\nMutual Recognition (Automatic Deemed Registration Exemption — Western Australia) Declaration 2022\n\n1  Section 5 (table item 2)\n\nRepeal the item.\n","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"flash_summary_failed":{"failed":true,"reason":"A positive credit balance is required for all requests, including BYOK, so fallback providers remain available. Add credits at https://vercel.com/d?to=%2F%5Bteam%5D%2F%7E%2Fai%3Fmodal%3Dtop-up to continue.","source":"analysis-cron"},"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":3,"scope_assessment":{"changed":true,"description":"This instrument updates and narrows the mutual recognition treatment for firearms by excluding 'a firearm authority under the Firearms Act 2024' from automatic deemed registration (s5 table) and repeals an item in the earlier 2022 Declaration (Schedule 1). It replaces references tied to the repealed Firearms Act 1973, preserving WA’s requirement for local identity/security checks rather than accepting automatic interstate registration."},"complexity_factors":["Cross-reference to Commonwealth Mutual Recognition Act (authority under s3 cites subsection 42S(1)) creates dependence on interpreting that federal provision.","Exemption relies on terminology from WA legislation ('A firearm authority under the Firearms Act 2024'), requiring cross‑referencing to the state Act to determine which registrations are covered (see s5 table).","The statement of 'significant risk' is used to justify the exclusion under subsection 42S(2) (s5(2)); courts may review whether the stated risk matches legislative threshold.","Commencement timing is conditional (the later of registration and 31 March 2025), adding a calendar/legal timing layer to implementation (s2).","The instrument amends a prior declaration by repealing a schedule item (Schedule 1), so one must track changes across multiple instruments to understand current scope.","Practical compliance burden: requires additional identity and security checks for registrants and administrative processing by WA regulators (implied by s5 table statement).","Potential textual ambiguity in the exemption wording (phrases like 'for an occupation or for an activity covered by an occupation') may require interpretive decisions by administrators or courts (s5 table)."],"plain_english_summary":"This declaration, made under subsection 42S(1) of the Mutual Recognition Act 1992, removes automatic deemed registration for firearm authorities under Western Australia’s Firearms Act 2024. Practically, people bringing out‑of‑state firearms or occupational firearm registrations will not be automatically recognised in WA and must satisfy WA’s identity and security checks. Who pays: out‑of‑state registrants and WA regulators bear the compliance and administrative costs. Who decides: the State (via this declaration) requires the local checks and registrations."},"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The legislation performs exactly its intended narrow purpose: exempting firearm registrations from automatic mutual recognition in WA. The scope has not expanded beyond this specific public safety carve-out."},"complexity_factors":["Very short instrument (6 sections plus a single-item schedule)","Only 2 defined terms ('Act' and implicit references to the Firearms Act 2024)","Single operative provision (section 5) with a straightforward table format","No nested exceptions or conditional logic - simply exempts one category of registration from automatic deemed registration","Minimal cross-referencing (only references to Mutual Recognition Act 1992, section 42S)","Schedule contains only one repealing item updating a reference to superseded legislation"],"plain_english_summary":"The Premier of Western Australia has declared that interstate firearm licences and permits will no longer be automatically recognised under mutual recognition. Anyone bringing firearms into WA or seeking a WA firearms licence must go through WA’s full application and security checks instead of relying on an interstate authorisation.\n\nThe declaration is aimed at preventing a public safety risk by ensuring WA identity and vetting processes are applied, and updates a 2022 declaration to reference the 2024 Firearms Act."}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/mutual-recognition-automatic-deemed-registration-exemption-western-australia-firearms-declaration-20","history":"/api/acts/mutual-recognition-automatic-deemed-registration-exemption-western-australia-firearms-declaration-20/history","analysis":"/api/acts/mutual-recognition-automatic-deemed-registration-exemption-western-australia-firearms-declaration-20/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/mutual-recognition-automatic-deemed-registration-exemption-western-australia-firearms-declaration-20/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/mutual-recognition-automatic-deemed-registration-exemption-western-australia-firearms-declaration-20/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/mutual-recognition-automatic-deemed-registration-exemption-western-australia-firearms-declaration-20/documents"}}