Firearms Policy Unit
The Firearms Policy Unit is responsible for developing Australian Government policy on firearms and pursuing national consistency among State and Territory approaches to firearms policy and the control of prohibited firearms.
The Unit, part of the Drugs and Firearms Section, sits within the Border Management and Crime Prevention Branch and serves a number of functions in pursuit of this aim, including:
- Providing advice within the Department, to other Commonwealth agencies and to the Australian Government on national firearms issues and working with State and Territory agencies to deliver better outcomes in the national management of firearms.
- Providing Secretariat and Australian Government representation on the multijurisdictional Firearms Policy Working Group (FPWG) which reports to the Ministerial Council on Police and Emergency Management - Police. The FPWG includes senior representatives from each State and Territory and officers from the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service, the Australian Federal Police, the Australian Institute of Criminology (AIC), the Australian Crime Commission, the Defence Export Control Office and CrimTrac.
- Contributing to the presentation of Australia’s firearms policies in relevant international forums and initiatives, including: the UN Protocol Against the Illicit Manufacturing of and Trafficking in Firearms, the UN Small Arms Programme of Action, and the United Nations Marking and Tracing Instrument.
The Unit also processes applications for permission to import firearms and works closely with the Australian Federal Police, the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service and the Defence Export Control Office in managing the movement of firearms across the border.
Contact the Firearms Policy Unit
Email: firearms@ag.gov.au
Phone: 02 6141 2730
Other Contacts
Customs
Firearms Issues - Phone: 02 6275 5873
Weapons non-firearms Issues - Phone: 02 6275 6728
Australian Institute of Criminology
Phone: 02 6260 9200
Department of Defence
Exports - Firearms Enquiries - Phone: 1800 661 066