Need help with licensing (vic)

[u/HatWithAHandgun]

Just need some help with the identification referee part of my license I don’t know anyone on the list at all after trying for 4 months I can’t find a single person who will help so that’s completely off the table but I was calling around a few hunting stores last night and a couple of them mentioned a way to do it that involves getting a statutory declaration instead but they couldn’t really explain it very well wondering if anyone here has had any experience doing it this way and can point me in the right direction

[u/BadgerBadgerCat]

I hate to say it, but having absolutely no-one who can be an ID referee for you is likely to be a red flag when applying for a licence.

Still, assuming it's for a valid reason (eg just moved to area) then it might be worth contacting the Firearms Registry and asking them if it's possible to provide a statutory declaration or something from a JP certifying they've seen your ID documents and are satisfied you are who you say you are?

[u/HatWithAHandgun → u/BadgerBadgerCat]

100% on the same page about the red flag thing so I decided it would just be better to bite the bullet and call the LRD after a bit of time talking to the bloke he said it might be possible to make a “Frankensteins monster” type reference where I would be able to combine a few that don’t quite count like the enrolled nurse I have and then use a statutory declaration as a final bonus to just push me over the line so I’ve taken all this information he told me and sent it in a email to the LRD as per his request and now I’m waiting on a response I’ll let you guys know what happens at the end so hopefully I can help anyone else who finds themselves in this same strange and incredibly rare situation

[u/deathmetalmedic → u/BadgerBadgerCat]

Tbh, I struggled when I applied for mine, as I'd moved states after coming back from the Middle East and found myself in a position where I didn't have a GP, I didn't have an accountant, I knew a couple of nurses but not well enough to sign docs for me.

I don't think these requirements are arbitrary as they place you within a society, but as our community gets more fragmented and isolated I see this becoming more of an issue, so maybe an alternative pathway should be considered.

[u/Varagner → u/BadgerBadgerCat]

Its not that OP can't provide no one, it's that he can't provide anyone from a specific list.

The list of acceptable people is frankly a bit bizarre, police officers below the rank of Sergeant are excluded. Registered nurses ok but enrolled not ok. Physiotherapists not ok but a vet or a pharmacist is. Someone who has worked in a bank or insurance company for more then 5 years is okay, but a senior public servant isn't. Tax agent is not ok, but a CPA is.

Its super weird. I imagine some people really struggle with it, and its all just to attest that the person is who they say they are. Which the government dam well knows rather easily at this point.

[u/deathmetalmedic → u/Varagner]

It's not "bizzare", look at the requirements of all those positions. RNs, vets, and pharmacists all need to be registered to use S8 medications, for example. All the professions listed establish some sort of anchor within "the system."