{"id":367929,"date":"2025-12-24T02:36:10","date_gmt":"2025-12-24T02:36:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/367929\/"},"modified":"2025-12-24T02:36:10","modified_gmt":"2025-12-24T02:36:10","slug":"australias-toughest-gun-laws-ratified","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/367929\/","title":{"rendered":"Australia\u2019s \u2018toughest\u2019 gun laws ratified"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sweeping reforms to firearm laws and freedom of assembly have been passed into law after a marathon session in NSW parliament.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

The Bill returned to the lower house on Wednesday morning where it was passed by a majority of parliamentarians.<\/p>\n

Premier Chris Minns said the Bill was just the start when it came to reforms.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe know it\u2019s our responsibility to do everything we can to keep the people of NSW safe and that means further change in the new year,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re 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\u2019s hoping to divide Australians against Australians in Australia\u2019s largest jurisdiction, and we\u2019ll do everything we possibly can to confront it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"PREMIER<\/p>\n

Premier Chris Minns said the laws were \u2018the single best thing\u2019 the government could do to keep the state safe after the Bondi attacks. Picture: Gaye Gerard \/NewsWire<\/p>\n

Mr Minns defended recalling parliament.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe couldn\u2019t have waited, and we shouldn\u2019t have waited,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He also confirmed many provisions of the Bill would come into effect immediately, including a reduction on the number of firearms owners can posses.<\/p>\n

The removal of an appeals pathway for license decisions at the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal will also immediately take effect.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are other elements of the gun bill that will take a bit of time. We have to set up and fund the buyback registry,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m aiming to do it as soon as possible, but it\u2019s going to take a bit of time.\u201d<\/p>\n

The buyback scheme will be established between the state and federal governments,<\/p>\n

Police Minister Yasmin Catley confirmed the NSW Firearms Registry would \u201cneed significant uplift\u201d.<\/p>\n

Briefly addressing the issuing of a firearms license to Bondi gunman Sajid Akram, she said at the time, between 2020 to 20-23, \u201cthere was a very large backlog\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe registry, was not working at its capacity. In fact, it was a shambles,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt appears that it was quite normal for a license to be issued between two to three years (later).<\/p>\n

\"CHRIS<\/p>\n

He foreshadowed further reforms in the new year. Pictures: NewsWire \/ Brendan Read<\/p>\n

\u201cNow that\u2019s unacceptable. However, these systems were upgraded significantly in 2023, and since then, that hasn\u2019t been my experience as minister\u201d.<\/p>\n

Addressing the Bill earlier, Ms Catley said the Bondi terror attack \u201cchanged Sydney\u201d and Australia.<\/p>\n

\u201cOn Sunday evening, attending the vigil at Bondi, we were greeted by the sight of NSW Police carrying rifles,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cTwo weeks ago, I would have found that shocking. But on Sunday, I felt comforted.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ms Catley thanked Opposition Leader Kellie Sloane and the NSW Liberals for their support.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe has shown true leadership, both in her community and in this House, in assisting us to achieve this result today,\u201d Ms Catley said of Ms Sloane.<\/p>\n

In a separate statement, Ms Sloane urged for a need to be \u201cclear-eyed about the core issue at stake\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnti-Semitism was the reason for this attack, and the people of NSW rightly expect strong and decisive action to confront and eliminate it,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis Bill was rushed through the parliament with limited consultation and insufficient engagement with stakeholders.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat is not best-practice lawmaking, particularly in an area as sensitive and consequential as counter-terrorism and social cohesion.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"BONDI<\/p>\n

Australia was thrown into mourning in the wake of the attack. Picture: NewsWire\/ John Appleyard<\/p>\n

Ms Sloane said she expected parliamentary sittings next year to be used by the government to pursue further reform.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe encourage the Government to engage in good faith with the opposition and the parliament to strengthen these laws where required,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe will have more to say over the coming weeks and months on our plan to deliver a stronger and safer NSW.\u201d<\/p>\n

Greens MP Jenny Leong said the Greens, who abstained from voting in the upper house, supported the firearm reforms.<\/p>\n

\u201cI 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,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Gun owners will be restricted to four guns per person, while farmers and professional shooters will be allowed to own ten guns.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\"Sajid<\/p>\n

Sajid Akram was a licensed gun owner and brought six legal weapons to the shooting. Picture: Sky News<\/p>\n

\"Sajid<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

One amendment was included in the Bill\u2019s passing through the upper house, meaning it would return to the Legislative Assembly to be passed again.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Shooters MP Robert Borsak lashed the Greens in an early morning video following passage of the Bill.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe’ve just finished a very, very long sitting day,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe 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?<\/p>\n

\u201cThey wouldn\u2019t support it and they wouldn\u2019t vote against it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Greens MLC Sue Higginson, who threw her weight behind an expected constitutional challenge, earlier described the Bill as \u201cdraconian\u201d and was expected to put forward an amendment to have it split in three.<\/p>\n

\"BONDI<\/p>\n

Jewish groups are also calling for more to be done to combat anti-Semitism. Picture: NewsWire\/ John Appleyard<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Mr Minns has said the laws are necessary to ensuring the volatile situation after the Bondi attack does not worsen.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe 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,\u201d he told the media earlier in the week,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The controversial laws have drawn criticism from conservative and progressive groups.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Its expected that a coalition of protest groups will launch a constitutional challenge to the new laws on demonstrations.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Sweeping reforms to firearm laws and freedom of assembly have been passed into law after a marathon session…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":367930,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[64,63,27931,26295,170278,44,46634,5727,199526,199525,199527],"class_list":{"0":"post-367929","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-australia","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-bondi","11":"tag-chris-minns","12":"tag-kellie-sloane","13":"tag-news","14":"tag-newswire","15":"tag-nsw-parliament","16":"tag-omnibus-bill","17":"tag-the-bill","18":"tag-yasmin-catley"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/367929","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=367929"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/367929\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/367930"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=367929"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=367929"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=367929"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}