A father and son opened fire at a Hanukkah gathering on Bondi Beach in Sydney, killing at least 15 people and injuring dozens more, with at least 42 hospitalized. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described the assault as a terrorist attack aimed at Jewish Australians. The rare mass shooting has renewed pressure on political leaders to strengthen gun controls.
The current Australian firearms regime dates to the 1996 Port Arthur massacre in Tasmania, when 35 people were killed. Then-prime minister John Howard led cross-party reforms that produced the National Firearms Agreement. That package banned many semi-automatic rifles and pump-action shotguns, launched a national buyback that removed more than 650,000 weapons, and aligned state and territory rules into a single national framework. Researchers credit those measures with a large drop in firearm deaths and with more than two decades without a comparable mass shooting.
Despite that history, gun ownership has increased in recent years. A January report from The Australia Institute estimated there are more than 4 million firearms in Australia, roughly 25 percent higher than in 1996, and found some NFA provisions have been applied unevenly or weakened. The gun lobby has claimed electoral and policy gains. That context has intensified calls for renewed national action after Bondi.
What officials agreed
At a meeting of the National Cabinet, which brings together the prime minister and state and territory leaders, Albanese and regional premiers and chief ministers backed a suite of measures to tighten controls. Key proposals include:
– Revising and strengthening the National Firearms Agreement
– Speeding up creation of a National Firearms Register to record owners and licences nationwide
– Using criminal intelligence more systematically in licensing decisions
– Capping the number of firearms a single person may legally own
– Restricting certain firearm types and aftermarket modifications
– Limiting firearms licences to Australian citizens
– Tightening customs controls on weapons and related items, including limits on 3D-printed parts and high-capacity accessories
Leaders also recommitted to the national firearms amnesty that lets people hand in unregistered guns without penalty.
Some measures appear tailored to details of the Bondi attack. Authorities said the son had been on ASIO’s radar in 2019 over links to an Islamic State cell in Sydney. The son is Australian-born; the father arrived in 1998 on a student visa and later held partner and resident return visas.
How decisions will move forward
The National Cabinet, formed in 2020 to coordinate pandemic responses, helps federal and state leaders align quickly on national priorities but does not itself enact laws. Actual reforms will require legislation and regulation at federal and state levels and depend on the detailed design of licensing, ownership limits, registration and customs changes.
Public and political landscape
Surveys show solid public support for stronger gun rules: a January poll by The Australia Institute found 64 percent want tougher laws and just 6 percent want rollbacks. Compulsory voting and a political culture that leans toward the center make cross-party agreement more attainable. Voices from history and victims families, including former prime minister John Howard and Port Arthur survivor Walter Mikac, have urged vigilance and renewed commitment to community safety.
Officials say they will move with urgency, but the timing and scope of legal changes will depend on negotiations across jurisdictions and the parliamentary process.