(1) If a health
professional is of the opinion that —
(a)
because of the patient’s physical, mental, or emotional condition, it is
not in the person’s interest or not in the public interest that the
person possess any firearm or ammunition to which the patient is believed to
have access; or
(b) in
the case of a medical practitioner or registered nurse, a person is seeking or
has sought medical assistance for an injury in the infliction of which a
firearm or ammunition is believed to have been involved,
nothing prevents the
health professional in good faith from informing the Commissioner of that
opinion.
(2) This section has
effect despite any duty of confidentiality, and nothing done by a health
professional in good faith in accordance with this section gives rise to a
criminal or civil action or remedy.
(3) In this section
—
health professional means —
(a) a
medical practitioner; or
(b) a
person registered under the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law
(Western Australia) in the psychology profession; or
(c) a
registered nurse; or
(d) a
prescribed class of social worker; or
(e) a
prescribed class of professional counsellor;
registered nurse means a person registered under
the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law (Western Australia) in the
nursing profession whose name is entered on Division 1 of the Register of
Nurses kept under that Law as a registered nurse.
[Section 23B inserted: No. 59 of 1996 s. 26;
amended: No. 69 of 2004 s. 24; No. 28 of 2005 Sch. 3 cl. 4; No. 50 of 2006
Sch. 3 cl. 8; No. 35 of 2010 s. 65; No. 4 of 2018 s. 110.]