Supreme Court blocks FLA bid to obtain Integrity Commission firearm probe report

The Supreme Court has turned down an application from the Firearm Licensing Authority seeking access to an Integrity Commission report examining alleged corruption, misconduct and irregularities linked to firearm and ammunition storage, as well as the granting of firearm licences at the agency.

Justice Tara Carr, ruling in chambers, found that the report is protected by confidentiality requirements in the Integrity Commission Act and cannot be disclosed before it is formally laid in Parliament. She held that, at this stage, the court already had enough material to address the issues involved in the FLA’s request for leave.

The judge said disclosure was not necessary for the leave proceedings, noting that the FLA already knew the broad nature of the investigation, the officials involved in the challenged process, and the grounds it planned to raise, including claims of procedural unfairness and illegality. The court also accepted that the Integrity Commission had met its duty of candour by giving adequate information on the probe and how it was conducted.

Justice Carr rejected arguments that the report was not covered by the Act’s confidentiality provisions. The court found that reports prepared under section 54 remain restricted by section 53(3) until Parliament receives them. The judge also pointed to the law’s criminal penalties for unauthorised disclosure of confidential investigative material and said it would not be proper for the court to bypass the process set out by Parliament.

The application for disclosure was refused, but the court granted permission to appeal. The substantive application for leave to seek judicial review is listed for September 17, 2026.

The FLA’s attorney said the ruling will be challenged, arguing that the court’s interpretation of the Integrity Commission Act, including section 53(3) and section 56, is wrong.