National Cabinet has also agreed to introduce caps on the number of firearms an individual can own, tighten licensing by ending open-ended permits, limit the categories of firearms that are legal, and require Australian citizenship to hold a firearms licence
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Friday announced a gun buyback scheme following the deadly shooting in Sydney’s Bondi Beach that killed 15 people, sending shockwaves across the nation.
The scheme is the largest of its kind since the Port Arthur massacre in 1996, where 35 people died, prompting the introduction of world-leading gun control measures in Australia.
“Right now, there are more guns in Australia than there were during Port Arthur. We can’t allow that to continue. Non-citizens have no need to own a gun. And someone in suburban Sydney has no need to own six,” Albanese said.
Right now, there are more guns in Australia than there were during Port Arthur. We can’t allow that to continue.
Non-citizens have no need to own a gun. And someone in suburban Sydney has no need to own six.
But that’s exactly what one of the terrorists from the weekend had…
— Anthony Albanese (@AlboMP) December 19, 2025
National Cabinet has also agreed to introduce caps on the number of firearms an individual can own, tighten licensing by ending open-ended permits, limit the categories of firearms that are legal, and require Australian citizenship to hold a firearms licence.
Work to establish a national firearms register will be fast-tracked, alongside improved access for firearms regulators to criminal intelligence.
PM unveils new measures to curb hate speech
The Bondi Beach attack has also prompted the government to strengthen hate speech laws that are used to target religious preachers and create laws to screen visas of those who spread “hate and division.”
Albanese convened the national security committee on Thursday morning and said that the government supports Australia’s special envoy to combat antisemitism, Jillian Segal, in this endeavour.
The prime minister’s decision to emphasise tighter gun control laws in the immediate aftermath of Sunday’s shooting has drawn criticism, including from former Liberal prime minister John Howard, who argued the move was an attempt to deflect attention from an inadequate response to rising antisemitism.
Measures announced include a new aggravated hate speech offence targeting preachers and leaders who incite violence, tougher penalties for hate speech that promotes violence, and making hatred an aggravating factor in sentencing for online threats and harassment.
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