Bills likely to oppose gun laws from the conservative Liberal-National coalition have yet to be voted on in the Senate.
Published on January 20, 2026
Australian lawmakers last month passed tougher laws against hate crime and gun violence in response. Mass shooting At a Jewish festival on Sydney’s Bondi Beach.
On Tuesday, the House of Representatives voted in favor of a new national gun buyback plan, tougher gun license checks and a crackdown on hate crimes.
Recommended stories
3 List of itemsEnd of list
On December 14, two gunmen opened fire on a Hanukkah celebration event on a Sydney beach, killing fifteen people, most of them Jewish. Ahmad Al-Ahmad.
Home Minister Tony Burke said attack It was committed by individuals with “hatred in their hearts and guns in their hands” and demanded a “comprehensive response from the government”.
Australian authorities have said the suspected attacker Sajid Akram and his son Naveed were inspired by the ISIL (ISIS) group.
“As a government, we must do everything we can to counter both the motivation and the method,” Burke said.
Legislative amendments on guns and hate speech were voted on separately and still must be approved by the upper house, the Senate, which was expected to vote later in the day.
Gun control legislation is expected to pass with the support of the Greens, despite opposition from the conservative Liberal-National coalition, while anti-hate legislation is likely to pass with the support of the Liberal Party.
The new gun rules will enable background checks on gun licenses with input from intelligence services.
Andrew Wallace, the Liberals’ shadow attorney general, said the bill exposed the “government’s disregard for Australia’s million gun owners”.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese recalled parliament early from summer recess for a special two-day session this week.