BONDI TERRORIST ATTACK AND PROPOSED NATIONAL CABINET REFORM OF FIREARM LAWS
December 19, 2025
The murderous attack on innocent Jewish-Australians at Bondi Beach has been rightfully condemned throughout the world.
It is a stain on our national soul that will never be removed.
Self-evidently, the Albanese Government has failed to keep Jewish-Australians safe, with 15 innocent people killed, plus dozens more wounded and recovering in hospital.
It is devastating for our nation.
My thoughts and prayers are with those whose lives were lost, and those whose lives will be changed forever from this day.
Our thanks must go to the brave civilians who intervened, along with the police and first responders who assisted the wounded and dying. Their instinct to support and protect their fellow Australians gives us some hope that we can recover from this act of terror.
Now is the time for political leaders at all levels in our nation to unite around issues of critical importance to the future of Australia and fulfil their basic duty to keep our community safe.
The wave of anti-Semitic attacks, which have been allowed to grow in our community, demands a more coordinated and determined response from the Federal Government. Jewish-Australians have repeatedly warned the government of the risks they are facing every day, and the Bondi Beach attack was entirely predictable.
In recent months, criminal acts have been perpetrated repeatedly and very publicly. We have seen public landmarks turned into symbols of anti-Semitic hate.
We have seen university campuses occupied, and Jewish students ostracised. We have seen the homes of Jewish-Australians vandalised. We have seen Jewish childcare centres targeted.
We have seen synagogues firebombed – orchestrated by foreign terrorist states. And Jewish-Australians are now forced to hire private security guards to protect gathering places from violent attacks.
In February this year, ASIO Director General Mike Burgess warned anti-Semitism was the biggest threat to loss of life in Australia.
The Prime Minister told Jewish-Australians he will do whatever it takes to deal with the threat, and he could start by implementing the findings of his own anti-Semitism Envoy’s report in full.
The Coalition has called on the Prime Minister to immediately recall Parliament to pass urgent legislation to eradicate anti-Semitism and strengthen Australia’s counter-terrorism laws following the Bondi terrorist attack.
We have prepared a comprehensive and practical package designed to protect Australians, disrupt extremist networks and restore confidence that the Commonwealth is using every power available to meet the threat we face.
The Coalition’s package of measures includes:
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- Pass Legislation to Give Effect to the Special Envoy’s Plan.
- Strengthening and Modernising Australia’s Counter-Terrorism Laws.
- A Funding Package for Enhanced Counter-Terrorism Response.
- End Labor’s Policy of Self-Managed Returns for ISIS Brides
- Strip Australian Dual Citizenship from Terrorists and Hate Preachers and Bar Extremists from Entering Australia.
The Coalition will do whatever it takes to press for the strongest possible action from the Government to keep Australians safe.
In relation to the National Cabinet meeting, it is still unclear how the reported outcomes would be implemented and whether they would have any impact on safety and social cohesion.
As a Coalition, we stand ready to support any meaningful action that the Albanese Government can take, and if new laws need to be passed, we could recall Federal Parliament.
National Cabinet has indicated it wants to make changes to our firearms laws in the wake of the terrorist attack.
State Police Commissioners and Attorney-Generals have been tasked with coming up with recommendations for changes to our existing gun laws, and the following five key areas are to be considered:
- Accelerating work on establishing the National Firearms Register;
- Allowing for additional use of criminal intelligence to underpin firearms licensing that can be used in administrative licensing regimes;
- Limiting the number of firearms to be held by any one individual;
- Limiting open-ended firearms licensing and the types of guns that are legal, including modifications; and
- A condition of a firearm licence is holding Australian citizenship.
Let me say from the outset that guns don’t kill people; it is people who kill people, and Australia already has some of the toughest firearms laws in the world, following the Port Arthur mass shooting.
I am concerned the Prime Minister is attempting to distract attention from his failure of leadership despite multiple warnings from the Jewish-Australian community about the growing outbreak of anti-Semitism and the impact it was having on social cohesion in the aftermath of the attack on Israel on October 7, more than two years ago.
The Nationals will consider any common-sense changes that eliminate loopholes in the current legislation, if they exist, but we won’t support disarming our hunters, sporting shooters, and farmers who have a legitimate purpose for owning firearms.
We support a sensible and proportionate examination of current firearms laws, but will await the options being prepared out of National Cabinet.
We will also wait to see the legislation drafted by the Premiers and Prime Minister, but rest assured, The Nationals will stand on the side of law-abiding Australians.
Our farmers, hunters and sporting shooters should not be paying the price for the incompetence of a weak leader.
Prime Minister Albanese was warned repeatedly of the increase in anti-Semitic activities in our nation, and he did nothing about it.
Now he’s trying to look like he’s taking strong action by targeting national gun laws without any commitment to genuine consultation with the Opposition or stakeholders in the industry.