In a landmark move, the Australian parliament has enacted the most significant overhaul of the nation's firearm legislation since the 1996 Port Arthur massacre. The reforms, propelled by last month's terror attack at Bondi Beach, introduce a national gun buyback scheme, tighten import controls, and mandate more rigorous background checks for owners.
Key Provisions of the New Gun Laws
The legislation, separated from a broader bill on hate speech, establishes a federally coordinated national firearms buyback, to be delivered in partnership with state and territory governments. The new laws will halt the importation of a range of specific firearms, as well as belt-fed ammunition, magazines holding more than 30 rounds, silencers, and speed loaders. Open-ended import permits have been abolished.
Background checks for firearm licence applicants and holders will become more stringent and frequent. Critically, the bill facilitates improved intelligence sharing, allowing agencies like the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (Asio) and the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC) to provide information to the AusCheck background system. An individual's citizenship status will also be verified as part of the process.
Furthermore, it will become an offence to use a carriage service to access material detailing the manufacture or modification of firearms, accessories, or other lethal devices. National cabinet has also agreed to further changes at the state level, including limiting recreational firearm owners to four guns and commercial users to ten.
Australia's Growing Firearm Stockpile
The reforms come at a time when the number of registered guns in Australia is at its highest point since the Port Arthur tragedy, which claimed 35 lives. As of December, there were over 4.1 million registered firearms nationally, with at least 2,000 new weapons lawfully entering the community each week.
New South Wales holds the most guns of any jurisdiction, with more than 1.15 million registered weapons. It is followed closely by Queensland with 1.14 million and Victoria with 974,000. Across the country, approximately 930,000 people hold a firearms licence.
Political Support and Opposition
The Labor government passed the changes with the support of the Greens. However, the Coalition opposed the reforms. Nationals leader David Littleproud labelled the bill "a cheap political diversion," with Coalition MPs arguing that law-abiding sporting shooters, farmers, and pest controllers were being unfairly penalised for the acts of the alleged Bondi terrorists. One Nation, including MP Barnaby Joyce, also opposed the plan.
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke defended the legislation, stating that measures like enhanced background checks and a ban on non-citizens owning guns could have prevented the Bondi attack. Independent MP Helen Haines noted the bill did not blame responsible owners, stating they "can be part of the solution."
State Challenges and Implementation Timeline
The path to implementation faces hurdles, particularly regarding the national buyback scheme. Queensland is expected to oppose the federal buyback plan, contrasting with the nationally supported approach taken by the Howard government in 1996, which saw around 650,000 weapons destroyed.
Liberal-led jurisdictions including the Northern Territory and Tasmania have expressed reservations, arguing the proposed 50:50 cost split between federal and state governments is unfair. The total cost of the buyback is yet to be determined, with the bulk of expenditure expected in the next financial year.
Meanwhile, a long-awaited national firearms register, first recommended after Port Arthur, is being fast-tracked but is not expected to be operational until 2027 at the earliest.
