Ms PATTEN — Thank you, Acting President, and I appreciate you allowing me to speak briefly on Mr O’Donohue’s amendment. I support this amendment. I find this bill largely problematic in many aspects. I find that it is incredibly discretionary in that once a firearm prohibition order has been made it allows police officers, without warrant or consent, to enter and search the premises of the person subject to the firearm prohibition order. I do think that there needs to be a good level of oversight here, and I do think that extending that level of oversight to the Magistrates Court is worthwhile. I think if you look at the statement of compatibility on this bill, on my reading it concedes that this piece of legislation is not proportionate to the limitations of human rights under the Victorian charter.
I would argue that in some way heightening the bar in the way that Mr O’Donohue’s amendment does allows for a greater level of justice and a greater level of oversight. We have seen similar legislation in New South Wales, and I have been listening to the debate on that this afternoon, where they have executed about 2500 separate searches under the firearm prohibition order. I believe they have found firearms, ammunition or firearm parts, whatever that definition may be, in only 2 per cent of occasions, so I will support this amendment.
