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Australia volition launch a nationalist weapon buyback strategy pursuing the wide shooting successful Sydney, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said connected Friday (December 19, 2025), arsenic hundreds of surfers and swimmers paddled retired astatine Bondi Beach to honour victims.
The buyback would beryllium similar to weapon reforms introduced soon aft the massacre successful 1996 successful Tasmania’s Port Arthur after a lone gunman killed 35 people, which prompted authorities to instrumentality immoderate of the world’s toughest weapon laws.
Editorial | Massacre successful Sydney: On the Bondi Beach shootings, hatred crimes
“Australia’s weapon laws were past substantially reformed successful the aftermath of the Port Arthur tragedy. The unspeakable events astatine Bondi amusement we request to get much guns disconnected our streets,” Mr. Albanese said during a media briefing.
Fifteen radical were killed and dozens wounded connected Sunday successful Bondi aft 2 gunmen opened occurrence astatine radical celebrating Hanukkah, the Jewish festival of lights.
A 50-year-old gunman, who was killed astatine the scene, held a firearm licence and had six guns registered, drafting criticisms that Australia’s weapon laws needed an overhaul.
An estimated 4 million firearms are presently successful the country, Albanese said. The authorities would people surplus, recently banned and amerciable firearms, with the costs to beryllium shared betwixt the national and authorities governments, helium said.
Following the Port Arthur massacre, Australia announced a weapon buy-back strategy and secured the surrender of astir 640,000 prohibited firearms nationwide. The full outgo of compensation to owners was astir A$304 cardinal ($201 million).
Neighbouring New Zealand announced sweeping weapon reforms, including weapon buyback schemes, aft the Christchurch panic onslaught successful 2019.
Seven men detained
Mr. Albanese, nether unit from critics who accidental his centre-left authorities has not done capable to curb a surge successful antisemitism since the commencement of the Gaza war, has said the authorities would besides fortify hatred laws.
The authorities said it has consistently denounced antisemitism implicit the past 2 years and passed authorities to criminalise hatred speech. It expelled the Iranian ambassador aft accusing Tehran of directing 2 antisemitic arson attacks.
Authorities person said Sunday’s shooting appears to person been inspired by the Islamic State, and constabulary person ramped up patrols and policing successful an effort to forestall further violence.
Late connected Thursday, constabulary said they had intercepted 2 cars and detained seven men successful Sydney’s southwest aft receiving accusation that “a convulsive enactment was perchance being planned.”
New South Wales authorities Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon said the men could beryllium released soon aft assessing that the circumstantial menace posed by them was unknown, and officials would proceed to show them.
Mr. Lanyon said constabulary were not prepared to instrumentality immoderate risks aft suspecting the radical was readying to sojourn Bondi.
There was nary “confirmed link” betwixt the detained men and the 2 Bondi gunmen, but they apt had akin ideologies, helium added. Islamic State has called the Bondi wide shooting a “source of pride”, successful an nonfiction published connected the group’s Telegram channel, though it did not explicitly assertion responsibility.
Police and further security person been deployed astatine Sydney’s Lakemba mosque, 1 of the largest successful Australia, up of Friday prayers, Australian media reported.
Australia’s Jewish assemblage gathered astatine Sydney’s Bondi Beach connected Friday for prayers, portion hundreds of swimmers and surfers formed a immense ellipse successful the waters disconnected the formation to honour victims.
Community leaders described the enactment arsenic profoundly moving amid heightened fears implicit a surge successful antisemitic incidents.
“Over the past 2 years, there’s been a batch of radical who person been questioning whether we’re inactive invited present successful Australia due to the fact that we saw radical calling for our decease connected the streets connected a play basis,” Rabbi Yosef Eichenblatt from Sydney’s Central Synagogue told ABC News, aft attending the paddle-out event.
“So it’s been truthful heart-warming to spot the outpouring of emotion and support. It’s truly truthful therapeutic.”
