The ACT government has introduced a Firearms Prohibition Order (FPO) scheme aimed at preventing high-risk individuals from accessing firearms by allowing police to search a person’s vehicle, home, or storage without a warrant, subject to magistrate and chief police officer approval. This scheme is designed to enhance community safety and align the ACT with other Australian jurisdictions, while incorporating additional safeguards such as mandatory judicial oversight and consideration of human rights and social impacts before issuing an order. The legislation follows recent gun law reforms prompted by the Bondi terrorist attack and seeks to fill a legislative gap identified by ACT police.

However, concerns have been raised by criminal lawyer Tom Taylor about potential human rights infringements, warning that the broad search powers could be misused as a “trojan horse” to conduct searches beyond the order’s scope, thereby arbitrarily interfering with privacy rights. Taylor emphasized that officers should cease searching and obtain a proper warrant if suspicions extend beyond the FPO’s limits. Despite these warnings, ACT Police and government officials maintain that the scheme includes important accountability mechanisms and is a necessary preventative tool to address risks related to domestic violence, organized crime, and terrorism.