Details of the soon-to-be replaced Arms Act, heading to select committee

The 1983 Act's been rewritten, under an ACT-National coalition agreement.

Its stated aim is improving safety and easing compliance for licensed owners.

Changes include automatically disqualifying gang members for licences, lifting penalties for more than 60 offences, and creating eight more - which includes targeting the black market.

The Firearms Safety Authority will shift to a new regulator, its Chief Executive reporting solely to the minister.

A new Firearms Licensing Review Committee will assess licence application disputes.