Firearms—Owner health checks
65. Hon Dr Steve Thomas to the minister representing the Minister for Police:
I refer to the government's opaque firearms laws.
(1) Will the five-year compulsory health checks for licence applicants be bulk-billed?(2) What weighting will be accorded to the health checks in the granting or refusal of a gun licence?(3) Who within the Department of Police will have access to this highly confidential medical information?(4) What safeguards will be or are in place for the confidential security of the health check personal information?Hon Matthew Swinbourn replied:
I thank the member for some notice of the question. The following answer has been provided to me by the Minister for Police.
(1) Health assessments are not covered by Medicare; therefore, medical practices can set their own billing rates for this service.(2) The result of the health check is not the determining factor and will be taken into consideration with other information as part of the overall assessment process.(3) The WA Police Force does not receive any medical information, only whether the applicant or holder meets or does not meet the firearm authority health standards.(4) The WA Police Force safeguards personal information by adhering to information security procedures and is subject to section 440A of the Criminal Code 1913, "Unlawful use of computer".