Police policies force producers to avoid seeking mental health help

SUA president Graham Park says it's become apparent that policies being enforced by the QPS are giving Queensland's primary producers an impossible choice between their livelihoods and their mental health.

The state's firearms licence application requires people to declare if they have received treatment for, among other things, 'psychiatric or emotional problems', 'alcohol or drug related problems', or 'physical impairment'.

Ticking the 'yes' box requires a doctor's certificate "certifying that the condition(s) do not affect your ability to possess or use a weapon".

According to Mr Park, the complexities involved, and the requirement for doctors to crystal ball gaze means that many are refusing to sign them, leaving producers ruing their honesty.

"GPs and specialists are essentially asked to guarantee the applicant's future behaviour, which is more or less impossible - not to mention a hugely unreasonable ask of already overworked medical providers," he said.

"Combine a busy GP who doesn't really know the patient except from file notes, a general wariness of firearms in the medical community, and concerns over liability from signing off on someone as suitable to have a gun forever, and you've got a recipe for the medico to put it in the 'no thanks' basket and decline to sign the paperwork."

The end result is that primary producers who might be experiencing mental health issues were essentially forced to choose between seeking help or losing their gun licences, and by extension, their ability to effectively manage their properties, Mr Park said.

Testimonials SUA has sourced from doctors back this up.

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A specialist from an outer metropolitan area says, "much of what we are being asked are legal questions, not medical opinion", while another says, "this is incredibly vague. How do I predict the result of a messy divorce, or a workplace harrassement".

A similar issue was raised in 2018, at the height of the drought in western Queensland, when health service providers told federal government ministers visiting Longreach that a regulation that required people wishing to receive psychological counselling to relinquish their weapons licence and firearms was proving to be a harmful barrier.

According to a QPS spokesperson, the requirement for an applicant to be a fit and proper person was introduced as legislation under the Weapons Act in 1990.

Its object was to prevent the misuse of weapons.

Saying that the basis of the medical requirements were to ensure the safety of all in the community, the spokesperson said an element of honesty required from each and every applicant to disclose medical conditions.

Mr Park said SUA agreed it was important that significant mental health issues be taken into account when deciding firearms licence applications, but broadly felt the medical standards should otherwise be the same as for a driver's licence.

"The Department of Transport don't care if you needed to see a doctor for a bit of help because you have a stressful job or the crop failed again or a close friend died and you weren't coping brilliantly, because that's got nothing to do with safely operating a vehicle," he said.

"They care if you have epilepsy or suffer blackouts, because those things genuinely can affect someone's ability to drive safely - and it should be the same standard for firearms licences."

The QPS had no comment on that suggestion.