2 JUL 1996

PRIME MINISTER
CANBERRA

Mr Walter Mikac

Dear Mr Mikac Walter,

I am writing to follow-up on our telephone conversation following the sad events at Port Arthur. I thought that I would write to let you know what actions my Government has taken in the wake of that tragic occurrence.

In the twenty-two years I have been in politics I have not experienced any other event which has so shocked the community and galvanised the political leadership of this country. It has brought together the major political parties at all levels of government with a determination to achieve historic and permanent change in the way our society approaches the possession and use of dangerous firearms.

We resolved as a united community to halt any slide towards an American-style 'gun culture' and to send a message that violence as a method for resolving problems, particularly through the use of firearms, is unacceptable and un-Australian.

I have enclosed some information summarising the gun control measures agreed by the Commonwealth and the States and Territories. The measures are far reaching, aimed at achieving the greatest reduction of firearms ever contemplated in this or other countries. I remain committed to implementation of these measures to the fullest extent possible.

I regret that many people who have never done anything wrong in their lives will be inconvenienced by the new laws, but this is ultimately a small price to pay for a community that feels, and is, more secure.

Commonwealth Ministers are investigating the portrayal of violence in the media, with a view to recommending appropriate measures. I cannot pre-empt what conclusions they will come to but I have personal concerns at the diet of repetitive violence that vulnerable persons in our society can be exposed to. Commonwealth Ministers, as well as Police Ministers, are also examining whether specific health or behavioural conditions may indicate an increased risk of an individual causing harm to themselves or others, particularly in relation to gun ownership, and the need for appropriate notification procedures to authorities.

The Commonwealth will be raising around $500 million through a one-off increase in the Medicare levy to fund a twelve-month 'buy back' of guns, and funding a number of measures in association with the new gun control measures being introduced by the States and Territories. It has also contributed $2.5 million for the reconstruction of the visitor centre and restaurant at Port Arthur, $416,000 for counselling services in Tasmania and $200,000 to the Port Arthur Victims Appeal.

In undertaking these and other actions, governments are reflecting the collective concern of Australians to do what can be done to avoid a repeat of events at Port Arthur. There is a determination at the highest levels to learn the right lessons from an experience that has left a scar on every Australian.

I believe that out of this nightmare there have come positive changes for us as a nation. I hope that in your own personal circumstances you may find it possible, as grief and suffering fade, to regain some of the joys of life.

I join with all of Australia, including I am sure the Leader of the Opposition, the Hon Kim Beazley MP, in wishing you the best for the future, however painful the present.

Yours sincerely

John Howard