Leader of The Nationals WA, Shane Love, has called for an investigation into the data breach on the WA Firearms Portal, describing it as a failure that could put the privacy and security of law-abiding firearms owners at risk.
“I’ve had hundreds of people write to my office with examples of issues they’ve had with the portal,” Mr Love said.
“This latest incident appears to involve individuals with expired authorisation still being able to access sensitive data, including the storage locations of firearms registered to clubs’ corporate licences.”
Mr Love said the breach is yet another alarming chapter in the long-running saga of the State Government’s botched rollout of the Firearms Act 2024 and its associated digital platform.
“This portal has already been exposed as a delayed, over-budget, dysfunctional mess — and now we find out it poses a real risk to the safety and personal information of thousands of Western Australians,” he said.
“When Labor rushed this legislation through Parliament without proper consultation or planning, they failed to deliver the most basic requirement: a secure, working system.”
The portal — which the Auditor General recently revealed will not be fully operational until December 2026 — has already cost taxpayers more than $35 million, is more than two years behind schedule, and has now suffered a breach that has shattered public trust.
“Users are being required to interact with a platform that is incomplete, unreliable, and now jeopardising the security of their personal information.”
“The Minister must immediately halt the implementation of the Act and take the website offline.” Mr Love said.