SA Nats call for Labor to release gun policy and reject buyback
SA Nationals want firearms policies revealed, saying children under the age of 18 must still be able to hold a gun licence. Meanwhile, a new report shows SA has the “weakest genuine reason rules” when it comes to proof requirements for hunting or target shooting.
SA Nationals candidate Rikki Lambert will this afternoon seek to “apply some pressure” on Premier Peter Malinauskas and the SA Labor party to release their firearms policy and clarify their position on the Federal Government’s proposed National Gun Buyback.
Lambert, the lead candidate for the SA Nationals in the Legislative Council in the March State Election, said he wanted to “get the government to be very public and clear that they’re not going to participate in the buyback”.
SA currently has around 63,000 gun licences issued, according to Australia Institute research director Rod Campbell.
Days after the horrific Bondi terror attack in December 2025, the federal government announced it would establish a National Gun Buyback Scheme to purchase surplus, newly banned and illegal firearms.
The buyback would be funded on a 50:50 basis. So far, the Queensland, Northern Territory and Tasmanian governments have refused to participate.
The SA Liberals in a pre-election policy said it would not use state funds to pay for the National Gun Buyback Scheme.
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SA Labor is yet to commit to all aspects of the federal plan. Yesterday, the Premier said: “We won’t be making any changes without it being evidence-based or an active engagement with all stakeholders and that includes firearm owners’ representatives”.
Broadly, the SA Nationals do not support any changes to SA firearm laws, laws that Premier Malinauskas claims are the “strictest… in the country”.
The SA Nationals – which has no current representatives in either house of South Australian Parliament – also wants to reject caps on firearm ownership, increase funding for the firearms registry and advocate for more SAPOL resources to crack down on illegal firearms trafficking.
SA Nationals also want to maintain the ability for children under the age of 18 to be able to hold a licence: “It is important that the next generation of sporting shooter and farmer has the opportunity to learn to shoot safely and responsibly,” the party said
“Every firearm someone’s got is one that they own for a lawful purpose and a specific purpose,” Lambert told InDaily.
“We’re trying to make the point very clear that it is a sport when it comes to shooting, and it shouldn’t be targeted because of the horror of what happened in December in Bondi.”
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His comments come as a new report from The Australia Institute was released today, detailing how potentially thousands of South Australians have “no genuine reason” to have a firearm.
Analysis from the independent think tank looked at rules governing the “genuine reason” principle for gun ownership, state by state.
It found that “South Australia has the weakest genuine reason rules” when it comes to proof requirements for hunting or target shooting.
South Australians are not required to get landholder permission, financial club membership, a support letter from a club or be an active participant in a club in order to get a hunting licence, the report reads.
Financial membership to an approved club is required for South Australians to hold a gun licence for sport shooting, but a support letter from the club is not required, nor does one need to be an active participant in the club, the report reads.
The Australia Institute research director Rod Campbell told InDaily that with approximately 63,000 licences in SA, there may be tens of thousands of licence holders who do not actively participate in either sport or hunting.
“There are hundreds of thousands of people who don’t use their firearms for the reason on their licence, and that is a major concern,” said Campbell.
“The huge gap between those who say they need a gun for hunting or sports, and those who actually do either, exposes the façade that underpins gun licensing across this country.
“Australia’s firearm laws are rightly a point of national pride, but they can only keep Australians safe if they remain ironclad. Right now, this genuine reason loophole leaves the door wide open for someone with bad intentions to get around Australia’s firearm laws.”
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