Big win for Ballardong hunters
When the WA Parliament made the new Firearms Act 2024, they forgot that Noongar people existed.
The Ballardong Aboriginal Corporation worked with members to identify problems with the legislation, then advocated on your behalf to change it.
Aboriginal people in WA have the right to undertake customary hunting on most CALM Act managed lands, including with the use of licenced firearms. In general, on DBCA managed lands, Aboriginal people can:
hunt animals without a firearm (eg trapping or snare) from areas more than 1km from carparks, sealed roads, or designated camping and visitor areas;
hunt animals with a firearms licence and category A firearm, from areas more than 1.5km from carparks, sealed roads, or designated camping areas;
hunt animals with a firearms licence and category B firearm, from areas more than 3km from carparks, sealed roads, designated camping sites and visitor areas, and not in urban land or a town site
The Ballardong Aboriginal Corporation negotiated with the WA Police to ensure that Ballardong Noongar people do not lose their firearms licences because of the mistakes Parliament made when they changed the legislation.
BAC can now provide a letter confirming that someone is a Ballardong Noongar Person, and the WA Police will accept this letter as evidence that person has a valid reason to hold a firearms licence.