In a decisive legislative response to the nation’s deadliest mass shooting in decades, Australia’s House of Representatives has approved sweeping gun control measures. The legislation, passed on Tuesday with a 96-45 vote, establishes a national firearm buyback program and enhances background verification processes for gun licenses.
The bipartisan effort faced opposition from conservative lawmakers who criticized the government’s approach to addressing rising antisemitism. The new framework empowers federal authorities to utilize intelligence data from the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation during license screenings and creates mechanisms for purchasing surplus and newly restricted weapons.
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke emphasized the urgency of these measures following the December 14 Bondi Beach attack that claimed 15 lives. “The tragic events at Bondi demand a comprehensive response from government,” Burke stated during parliamentary proceedings. “We must counter both the motivation and the method.”
The legislative action coincides with concerning statistics revealing a record 4.1 million firearms currently in circulation across Australia, with New South Wales—the site of the recent tragedy—accounting for over 1.1 million weapons. This development follows New South Wales’ own recent reforms limiting individual gun ownership to four firearms (ten for agricultural purposes) and shortening license renewal cycles from five to two years.
The proposed legislation now advances to the Senate for consideration, while Parliament concurrently debates additional measures that would lower prosecution thresholds for hate speech offenses.