Sweeping reforms to firearm laws and freedom of assembly have been passed into law after a marathon session in NSW parliament.
The Liberal Party joined with the Minns Labor government to pass the laws through the upper house in the early hours of Christmas Eve after a lengthy debate.
The Bill returned to the lower house on Wednesday morning where it was passed by a majority of parliamentarians.
Premier Chris Minns said the Bill was just the start when it came to reforms.
“We know it’s our responsibility to do everything we can to keep the people of NSW safe and that means further change in the new year,” he said.
“We’re currently looking at other areas of the law that are urgently required to confront hate speech, confront Islamist terrorism in our community and to send a clear message that if anyone’s hoping to divide Australians against Australians in Australia’s largest jurisdiction, and we’ll do everything we possibly can to confront it.”
Premier Chris Minns said the laws were ‘the single best thing’ the government could do to keep the state safe after the Bondi attacks. Picture: Gaye Gerard /NewsWire
Mr Minns defended recalling parliament.
“We couldn’t have waited, and we shouldn’t have waited,” he said.
He also confirmed many provisions of the Bill would come into effect immediately, including a reduction on the number of firearms owners can posses.
The removal of an appeals pathway for license decisions at the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal will also immediately take effect.
“There are other elements of the gun bill that will take a bit of time. We have to set up and fund the buyback registry,” he said.
“I’m aiming to do it as soon as possible, but it’s going to take a bit of time.”
The buyback scheme will be established between the state and federal governments,
Police Minister Yasmin Catley confirmed the NSW Firearms Registry would “need significant uplift”.
Briefly addressing the issuing of a firearms license to Bondi gunman Sajid Akram, she said at the time, between 2020 to 20-23, “there was a very large backlog”.
“The registry, was not working at its capacity. In fact, it was a shambles,” she said.
“It appears that it was quite normal for a license to be issued between two to three years (later).
He foreshadowed further reforms in the new year. Pictures: NewsWire / Brendan Read
“Now that’s unacceptable. However, these systems were upgraded significantly in 2023, and since then, that hasn’t been my experience as minister”.
Addressing the Bill earlier, Ms Catley said the Bondi terror attack “changed Sydney” and Australia.
“On Sunday evening, attending the vigil at Bondi, we were greeted by the sight of NSW Police carrying rifles,” she said.
“Two weeks ago, I would have found that shocking. But on Sunday, I felt comforted.”
Ms Catley thanked Opposition Leader Kellie Sloane and the NSW Liberals for their support.
“She has shown true leadership, both in her community and in this House, in assisting us to achieve this result today,” Ms Catley said of Ms Sloane.
In a separate statement, Ms Sloane urged for a need to be “clear-eyed about the core issue at stake”.
“Anti-Semitism was the reason for this attack, and the people of NSW rightly expect strong and decisive action to confront and eliminate it,” she said.
“This Bill was rushed through the parliament with limited consultation and insufficient engagement with stakeholders.
“That is not best-practice lawmaking, particularly in an area as sensitive and consequential as counter-terrorism and social cohesion.”
Australia was thrown into mourning in the wake of the attack. Picture: NewsWire/ John Appleyard
Ms Sloane said she expected parliamentary sittings next year to be used by the government to pursue further reform.
“We encourage the Government to engage in good faith with the opposition and the parliament to strengthen these laws where required,” she said.
“We will have more to say over the coming weeks and months on our plan to deliver a stronger and safer NSW.”
Greens MP Jenny Leong said the Greens, who abstained from voting in the upper house, supported the firearm reforms.
“I also want to express that we cannot, in good conscience, support, a Bill that has these level of crackdowns on the right to peaceful protest,” she said.
NSW parliament was recalled in the days before Christmas to push through the new laws, drafted in response to the alleged Bondi terror attack that left 15 victims and one shooter dead.
Gun owners will be restricted to four guns per person, while farmers and professional shooters will be allowed to own ten guns.
Firearms similar to the ones used by the Bondi shooters, which allow for multiple shots without reloading, will be banned in NSW and gun licences will need to be renewed every two years.
Also included in the omnibus Bill were new laws that give the police commissioner power to ban protests in NSW for up to three months in the wake of a terrorist incident.
Sajid Akram was a licensed gun owner and brought six legal weapons to the shooting. Picture: Sky News
Sajid and Naveed Akram allegedly opened fire on crowds at a Chanukah celebration in Bondi, killing 15 people. The style of guns they used will be banned by the new laws. Picture: Handout.
One amendment was included in the Bill’s passing through the upper house, meaning it would return to the Legislative Assembly to be passed again.
There were 18 votes in favour and eight against, with the Nationals and Shooters, Fishers and Farmers opposed to the Bill and the Greens abstaining.
Shooters MP Robert Borsak lashed the Greens in an early morning video following passage of the Bill.
“We’ve just finished a very, very long sitting day,” he said.
“The hypocrisy of the Greens shot right through to the very end when they all got up and walked out and refused to vote on the Bill. Can you believe that?
“They wouldn’t support it and they wouldn’t vote against it.”
Greens MLC Sue Higginson, who threw her weight behind an expected constitutional challenge, earlier described the Bill as “draconian” and was expected to put forward an amendment to have it split in three.
Jewish groups are also calling for more to be done to combat anti-Semitism. Picture: NewsWire/ John Appleyard
Premier Chris Minns was at Masjid Al Hidayah Mosque in Rockdale on Tuesday alongside NSW Jewish Board of Deputies president David Ossip as the Bill was being debated.
Mr Minns has said the laws are necessary to ensuring the volatile situation after the Bondi attack does not worsen.
“The passage of this legislation is the single best thing we can do in the short run to keep the people of New South Wales safe,” he told the media earlier in the week,” he said.
The controversial laws have drawn criticism from conservative and progressive groups.
The Greens are opposed to the new rules on protests while supporting tighter gun control, while the Nationals and the Shooters party have lashed the move to limit firearms.
Its expected that a coalition of protest groups will launch a constitutional challenge to the new laws on demonstrations.