Federal Member for Gippsland Darren Chester has warned the Labor Party’s proposed changes to firearms laws will unfairly target rural and regional Australians, while failing to address the causes of the Bondi terrorist attack.
Mr Chester accused the Prime Minister of using gun law reform as a distraction from his Government’s failure to act decisively on the growing threat of anti-Semitism and Islamic extremism in Australia.
“The horrific terrorist attack at Bondi, which claimed the lives of 15 innocent Jewish-Australians and left dozens more injured, has rightly been condemned around the world,” Mr Chester said.
“It is a stain on our national soul, and my thoughts remain with the families whose lives have been changed forever.”
Mr Chester said Australians expected strong leadership focused on preventing extremist violence, not rushed and ill-conceived policy changes that penalised people who have done nothing wrong.
“Instead of confronting the hard issues around extremism, social cohesion and national security, the Prime Minister appears to be pursuing a knee-jerk response that unfairly targets law-abiding firearm owners, particularly in regional and rural communities like Gippsland,” he said.
“Australia already has some of the strictest gun laws in the world. Farmers, hunters, and sporting shooters who comply with rigorous licensing requirements should not be punished because the Government failed to act on repeated warnings about rising anti-Semitic threats.”
Mr Chester said firearms were used legitimately across Gippsland for pest control, farming, sport, and hunting, and these activities had nothing to do with the extremist violence seen at Bondi.
“It wasn’t farmers or sporting shooters who carried out this terrorist attack,” he said.
“This was an act of violent extremism, and the Government’s focus should be on strengthening counter-terrorism measures, enforcing existing laws, and implementing the findings of its own Anti-Semitism Envoy, not taking rights away from law-abiding gun owners.”
Mr Chester said the Coalition remained open to sensible, evidence-based reforms that closed genuine loopholes, but would not support measures that stripped rights from responsible firearm owners without any consultation.
“The Nationals will always stand on the side of law-abiding Australians,” he said.
“Our regional communities should not pay the price for the Prime Minister’s weak leadership and failure to take action on anti-Semitism after years of warnings.”
