Add Category
On the eve of the 28th anniversary of the Port Arthur massacre, gun reform campaigner Walter Mikac revealed it was a "bittersweet" victory to see federal funding finally flow for a national firearms register.
Mr Mikac's wife Nanette and daughters Alannah and Madeline were among the 35 killed at the historic site in Tasmania on April 28, 1996, and he has campaigned for tougher gun laws in the almost three decades since.
On Saturday the federal government announced more than $161 million would be allocated in next month's budget to establish the register, after years of inaction from Commonwealth, state and territory governments.
"I would have liked that to have been instigated way back when John Howard introduced the National Firearms Agreement back in 1996," Mr Mikac told the ABC.
"We've had toing and froing from a number of the states over the years, mainly about watering [the proposals] down.
"Yeah, it's bittersweet."
Mr Mikac established the Alannah and Madeline Foundations in the years after he lost his family at Port Arthur, and said the registry was the culmination of almost three decades of advocacy.
While he welcomed it, he argued it was a "huge frustration" it had taken so long.
"We acted so quickly to make the initial reforms," he said.
"It's a difficult one because as time passes, people's memories, the events fade, the absolute despair and shock of the whole nation of that time disperses over the years and people become a little bit more complacent.
"Since Port Arthur, we've only had one mass shooting in Australia — it's incredible proof in the pudding that not having the firearms in our community works."
As the anniversary of the massacre came around once more, Mr Mikac said the pain of losing his family was still raw.
"It's never easy, it's just as hard after 28 years as it was after one year," he said.
"In fact, [it] may be harder because you realise all those life events that you didn't get to share with your children — you know, the weddings, that car licence, the grandchildren, all those events.
"For people who think that time heals, well, all it does is just add another year to it.
"I think if they were looking down and could see what the Alannah and Madeline Foundation does in their names, and the gun laws that are now part of the legacy of the event of that day, they'd be really proud."
Wieambilla shootings the catalyst for long-awaited action
While the devastation of Port Arthur was seared into the national psyche, it was another shooting in rural Queensland in December 2022 which Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus said was the "catalyst" for long-awaited action.
Two police officers and a member of the community were killed at Wieambilla, and one of the offenders had been able to purchase ammunition despite having a suspended gun licence.
In December last year, the prime minister, premiers and chief ministers all agreed to establish the national firearms register to ensure information about gun ownership was shared in near-real time across borders.
The funding announced on Saturday morning will go towards setting up the new systems, and ensuring state and territory record keeping is at the same level.
While some jurisdictions already have digital records, others are still using paper files.
"I think that might have been Tasmania — so coming from a very low base," Mr Mikac said.
"That's part of the reason why it's going to cost so much, because there's a fair bit of infrastructure to get in place so that information can be used nationally from one state police force to another."
Australian Federal Police Assistant Commissioner Justin Gough described the new registry as a "natural progression, enabling us to share real-time information and intelligence, which is a significant advancement in terms of our ability to ensure police and public safety".
Mikac's personal plea to PM
A series of letters Mr Mikac has sent to successive governments and prime ministers were put on display in Parliament House in March this year.
Among them, the hand-written correspondence of a grieving father to then prime minister John Howard in the initial aftermath of the Port Arthur massacre in 1996.
As the display was opened, Mr Mikac met with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Mr Dreyfus and Opposition Leader Peter Dutton, raising the case for the registry again.
"And the final letter, which I got from Anthony Albanese on that day saying that they're going to make sure that the national firearms register actually is funded and occurs, has also been put into that collection," he said.
"It makes me really proud that it's part of our history that we've taken a really horrific event and made a solid monument and a legacy to all the people that suffered that day.
"There are 35 people who died, and the many who were injured and the many who suffered for the rest of their lives as a result."