In a swift and decisive move, the Australian parliament has passed a series of tough new laws aimed at cracking down on hate speech and gun ownership in the wake of the deadly Bondi Beach shooting last month. The new legislation, which was pushed through in a special two-day sitting, has been hailed by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese as a display of “unity and urgency” in addressing the country’s pressing security concerns.
The gun law reforms introduce a government-funded buyback programme to compensate owners who are forced to surrender their firearms under the new restrictions. This is the largest such scheme since the 1996 Port Arthur massacre, where a lone gunman killed 35 people. The new rules will also limit the number of guns individuals can own and impose tighter controls on licensing and the types of weapons that are legally permitted.
Separately, the anti-hate speech law targets extremist groups that do not meet Australia’s definition of a terrorist organisation, such as the Islamist Hizb ut-Tahrir. It introduces harsher penalties for preachers who advocate violence, with the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) given the power to decide which hate groups should be outlawed.
Addressing reporters, Albanese stated that the Bondi attackers “had hate in their hearts, but they had guns in their hands.” He emphasised the government’s determination to tackle both the ideological and practical threats posed by such extremism.
The new legislation faced opposition from the conservative coalition, with the National Party breaking ranks with its Liberal partners to argue that the hate speech laws could infringe on free speech. However, the bills were ultimately passed with significant majorities in both the House of Representatives and the Senate.
Experts have praised the government’s swift action, noting that the new measures could have prevented the Bondi attack if they had been in place earlier. The buyback scheme is expected to remove hundreds of thousands of firearms from circulation, while the hate speech laws aim to disrupt the activities of extremist groups and their supporters.
As Australia grapples with the aftermath of the Bondi tragedy, these new laws represent a concerted effort to address the complex challenges of gun violence and ideological radicalisation. With the backing of parliament, the Albanese government is sending a clear message that such acts of hate and terror will not be tolerated.
