Eggins v Queensland Police Service, Weapons Licensing Branch

CITATION:

Eggins v Queensland Police Service, Weapons Licensing Branch [2013] QCAT 353

PARTIES:	Clyde Kenneth Eggins (Applicant)
v
Queensland Police Service, Weapons Licensing Branch (Respondent)

APPLICATION NUMBER:

GAR407-12

MATTER TYPE:

General administrative review matters

HEARING DATE:

On the papers

HEARD AT:

Brisbane

DECISION OF:

Kerrie O'Callaghan, Senior Member

DELIVERED ON:

17 April 2013

DELIVERED AT:

Brisbane

ORDERS MADE:

1. The decision of the Queensland Police Service, Weapons Licensing of 18 October 2012 to suspend the license of Clyde Kenneth Eggins is stayed pending determination of the review or earlier order of the Tribunal.

CATCHWORDS:

STAY APPLICATION – suspension of weapons license – whether public interest outweighed the adverse financial impact of the applicant – where balance of convenience favoured applicant

Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal Act 2009 s22(3) and (4)
Weapons Act 1990 Section 28(1)(a)(i)(B)

Harley v Department of Justice and Attorney-General [2012] QCAT 39

APPEARANCES and REPRESENTATION (if any):

This matter was heard and determined on the papers pursuant to section 32 of the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal Act 2009 (QCAT Act).

REASONS FOR DECISION

Mr Eggins had a firearms license which he used in his employment as a “rural onsite slaughter man”. His license was suspended in October 2012 on the basis that he had been charged with an offence against a law involving the use or threatened use of violence[1] and further that the authorised officer was satisfied on reasonable grounds that Mr Eggins was no longer a fit and proper person to hold a license.[2]
[1] Weapons Act 1990 s 28(1)(a)(i)(B).
[2] Ibid s 28(1)(b).
Mr Eggins has filed an application to review the decision to suspend his license and seeks a substituted decision that his license be reinstated until the charges against him have been determined.
He also filed an application to stay the decision pending the outcome of the review. I granted that stay on 4 March 2013. The Queensland Police Service, Weapons Licensing has asked for reasons for the decision granting the stay. These are the reasons.
Pursuant to section 22(3) of the QCAT Act the Tribunal can make an order staying the operation of the reviewable decision pending the hearing if it considers it desirable to do so.[3]
[3] QCAT Act s 22(4).
In deciding whether it is desirable the Tribunal must have regard to the interests of any person whose interests may be affected by the outcome of the order, any submission made to the Tribunal by the decision maker for the reviewable decision and the public interest.[4]
[4] QCAT Act s 22(4).
The Tribunal may also consider other matters in addition to those specified in s22(4), including whether the balance of convenience favours the granting of the stay.[5]
[5] Harley v Department of Justice and Attorney-General [2012] QCAT 39.
The Queensland Police Service, Weapons Licensing Branch argued against the granting of the stay on the basis that it was in the interests of the public that his license remain suspended.
The offence with which Mr Eggins has been charged which lead to the suspension of the license is of a sexual nature which is alleged to have occurred 25-30 years ago.
His evidence is that in the intervening years he has not been charged with any offences involving violence or any similar offences. The last entry on his criminal history was in 1983 for drink driving.
He supplements his pension through employment on properties slaughtering animals for which a weapons license is required. He says he holds no other qualifications and if his license remains suspended his financial interests will be severely impacted.
No doubt if he is convicted of the offence there will be further consequences as far as his weapons license is concerned.
Whilst I accept that public safety is a primary consideration, on the material before me I am not satisfied that there is risk to the public in circumstances where the alleged offence occurred some 25-30 years ago and Mr Eggins had not committed any offences since that time.
He relies on the income he earns from his use of firearms, slaughtering animals on rural property.
The balance of convenience is in favour of the stay and I ordered accordingly.

The case of Eggins v Queensland Police Service, Weapons Licensing Branch involved Clyde Kenneth Eggins, the applicant, who sought to challenge the decision of the Weapons Licensing Branch of the Queensland Police Service to suspend his weapons license. The decision was made on 18 October 2012. Eggins applied to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal for a stay of the suspension pending the determination of a review of the decision. The tribunal was required to weigh the public interest in enforcing the decision against the adverse financial impact on Eggins of the suspension. This included considering the balance of convenience in favour of Eggins.

The central legal issue before the tribunal was whether the public interest in enforcing the decision to suspend the weapons license outweighed the adverse financial impact on Eggins. The tribunal was required to consider the public interest in enforcing the decision, including the potential risk to public safety if the license was not suspended, against the financial hardship Eggins would suffer if the suspension was enforced pending the determination of the review. The tribunal also had to consider the balance of convenience, which favoured Eggins, indicating that the potential harm to him if the suspension was enforced outweighed the harm to the public interest if the stay was granted.

The tribunal found that the balance of convenience favoured Eggins, as the financial impact of the suspension was significant and immediate, while the public interest in enforcing the decision was not sufficiently compelling to override this. The tribunal was satisfied that Eggins had demonstrated that the financial hardship would be substantial and immediate, and that the risk to public safety was not significant enough to justify enforcing the suspension pending the review. Consequently, the tribunal granted the stay of the suspension pending the determination of the review.

The tribunal ordered that the decision of the Queensland Police Service, Weapons Licensing of 18 October 2012 to suspend the license of Clyde Kenneth Eggins be stayed pending determination of the review or earlier order of the Tribunal. This decision ensured that Eggins would not suffer financial hardship immediately while the review was being conducted, and it balanced the interests of both parties in accordance with the principles of administrative law.

CaseChat Overview and Summary

Orders of the court

Background to the litigation

Evidence Before The Court

Reasons for decision

Legal Principle Established