Australia is rolling out major gun reforms, including a nationwide buyback, following a deadly terror attack near Bondi Beach that left 15 dead.
The measures come amid renewed debate on gun ownership, licensing, and public safety, as authorities investigate and communities grieve. The attack occurred Sunday at Archer Park, where two gunmen opened fire on over 1,000 people celebrating Hanukkah.
Speaking at a press conference on Friday, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said existing measures had failed to prevent the violence. “The terrible events at Bondi show we need to get more guns off our streets,” he said, calling for tighter national controls.
The proposed buyback will be the largest since reforms introduced after the 1996 Port Arthur massacre in Tasmania, which led Australia to adopt some of the world’s toughest gun laws.
Albanese said more than four million firearms are now in circulation across the country, more than at the time of Port Arthur nearly 30 years ago.
“We know that one of these terrorists held a firearm licence and had six guns, in spite of living in the middle of Sydney’s suburbs,” he said. “There’s no reason why someone in that situation needed that many guns.”
Under the plan, the federal government will purchase surplus, newly banned and illegal firearms, with costs shared equally between the Commonwealth and Australia’s states and territories.
The national cabinet has also agreed to cap the number of firearms an individual can own, restrict open-ended licences, tighten the types of guns that can be legally held, and make Australian citizenship a requirement for holding a gun licence.
Work on a national firearms register will be fast-tracked, with regulators given wider access to criminal intelligence. The measures are intended to close gaps in oversight and improve coordination between jurisdictions.
One alleged gunman, Naveed Akram, 24, has been charged with 59 offences, including 15 counts of murder, terrorism offences, placing an explosive near a building with intent to cause harm, and displaying a prohibited terrorist organisation symbol.
His father, Sajid, was shot dead by police at the scene. Authorities say the pair acted together, though investigations remain ongoing.
New South Wales Health said on Friday that 15 people were still receiving hospital treatment, with four in a critical but stable condition.
Police also confirmed they were preparing to release seven men detained in Sydney’s south-west on Thursday under national security powers that allow suspects to be held for questioning without charge for up to a week.
The men, who had travelled from Victoria, were intercepted after intelligence suggested a violent act was possibly being planned.
New South Wales police commissioner Mal Lanyon said there was no confirmed link between the group and the Bondi attackers, though investigators believe they shared elements of extremist Islamic ideology.
Only a knife was recovered and no firearms were found. “Whilst the specific threat posed by the males is unknown, the potential for a violent offence was such that we were not prepared to tolerate the risk,” he said.
Deputy commissioner David Hudson said Bondi had been one of several locations the men may have intended to visit, though there was no proven intent at that stage.
As police lifted the crime scene on Thursday, Bondi Beach and surrounding areas gradually reopened. Hundreds of swimmers and surfers formed a circle in the water to honour those killed, while members of Australia’s Jewish community gathered on the sand for prayers and read out the victims’ names.
Community leaders described the scenes as deeply moving amid heightened fears of antisemitism. “Over the past two years, there’s been a lot of people questioning whether we’re still welcome here in Australia,” Rabbi Yosef Eichenblatt said. “So it’s been so heart-warming to see the outpouring of love and support.”
Funerals have begun, including that of Rabbi Eli Schlanger, 41. Addressing mourners, Rabbi Yehoram Ulman said it was unthinkable we talk about the deaths in the past tense.
More than Sh645 000 000 has been donated through verified fundraising pages. A Sh322.5 million was raised for Ahmed al Ahmed, a Sydney shop owner who wrestled a firearm from one of the attackers before being shot twice. Urging unity, he called on people around the world to stand with each other.
Albanese said Sunday would be observed as a day of reflection, with plans for a national day of mourning in the new year in consultation with the Jewish community.
