Australia’s House of Representatives has approved landmark firearms legislation establishing a national gun buyback program and enhanced licensing checks, responding to December’s deadly Bondi Beach shooting that claimed 15 lives. The bill passed with substantial majority (96-45) and now advances to the Senate for final approval.
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke presented the legislation as a direct response to the attack targeting a Jewish festival, stating the perpetrators had “hate in their hearts and guns in their hands.” Burke revealed the alarming statistic that Australia now possesses more firearms than prior to the 1996 Port Arthur massacre, which originally prompted the nation’s stringent gun control framework.
The comprehensive package includes multiple security enhancements: a national buyback targeting “surplus and newly restricted firearms” from Australia’s estimated 4 million registered guns, stricter import controls, and improved intelligence sharing between agencies regarding license applicants. Notably, the father in the father-son duo behind the Bondi attack legally owned six firearms, while his son had previously drawn intelligence agency attention.
Parallel hate speech reforms are simultaneously advancing through parliament, though these faced initial opposition from conservative coalition members concerned about free speech implications. A modified version has reportedly gained Liberal Party support after negotiations, though National Party backing remains uncertain. The Greens conditionally support both measures, demanding broader minority protections and protest rights safeguards.