On 14 December 2025, an Islamic State (ISIS)-inspired mass shooting occurred at Bondi Beach during a Hanukkah celebration with two gunmen allegedly killing fifteen people and injuring forty.[4][5][6] The fifteen victims were aged between 10 and 87.[7][4] One of the gunman had a firearms licence and was the registered owner of six firearms.[8]
New state and territory firearms laws
On 15 December 2026, at a national cabinet meeting, all the state and territory governments agreed to strengthen firearms laws in the wake of the mass shooting.[9][10][11] The federal government proposes that state and territory governments agree to ambitious new firearm law reforms no later than March 2026; and that reforms are legislated no later than 1 July 2026.[1]
Buyback funding
The federal government will introduce legislation to support funding the buyback.[1] The cost of the buyback, which is expected to collect hundreds of thousands of firearms, will be split between the federal government and with the state and territory governments.[1][6][12]
Collection of prohibited firearms
The federal government proposes that states and territories be responsible for the collection, processing and payment to individuals for surrendered firearms. The Australian Federal Police will be responsible for the destruction of surrendered firearms.[1]
Precedent
In 1996, following the Port Arthur massacre, a buyback program was put in place. The program saw the collection of more than 650,000 newly prohibited firearms.[13][14] During the two years when the program was carried out, 1996 and 1997, the percentage of homicide rates dropped the most in any two-year timeframe in Australia between 1915 and 2004.[15]
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