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One of Australia’s leading experts on gun control, Roland Browne, has told ABC News Breakfast that in the wake of a tragedy the community looks for hope and taking swift action on gun control can provide that hope.
In my involvement in gun law reform in over 40 years, after these terrible events and I’m talking about what happened at Bondi, what happened at Port Arthur and indeed from my own experience what happened in Dunblane in Scotland in 1996, people looked to political leadership for a ray of hope and gun law reform is what they look for.
It gives people a sense that there is light at the end of the tunnel and that is the best thing for the grief and anguish and loss that people experience. So it’s very important that these reforms move rapidly and all the states and territories and political parties get behind them.
He said that the 1996 reforms post the Port Arthur massacre were a landmark, but that the laws could not be set and forget. He added that gun control was “only as good as the weakest link in the chain” so any changes should be nationalised.
Those states that aren’t recalling their parliaments now need to do so in February and get a move on and get these laws introduced.
The National Farmers Federation has called for the rush to introduce gun reforms to be slowed, saying there has been “limited engagement with the farm sector, despite acknowledgement that agriculture requires firearms”.
The National Farmers’ Federation president, Hamish McIntyre, said:
We support sensible reforms that strengthen community safety, but those reforms must be developed carefully and with proper consultation to ensure they don’t undermine farm safety, animal welfare and environmental management.
McIntyre said the Bondi terror attacks were a tragedy that demanded a “serious response, and we understand the need for governments to act decisively to ensure something like this never happens again”.
In milder terms than the state peak farming body, he said that any changes introduced in NSW would “set the tone nationally”.
He added:
We will continue to advocate respectfully, responsibly and firmly for farmers, while recognising the gravity of this moment for our nation.
Proposed firearms laws 'rushed' and 'unworkable', say NSW Farmers
NSW Farmers says Chris Minns’ “rushed” new gun laws were “unworkable” and that farmers had been “misled” by the state government.
The association’s president, Xavier Martin, says the state government had not spoken to the organisation despite “multiple attempts” over the past week, and he was “deeply frustrated that the government has failed to engage in any meaningful way in what is a critical issue for farmers”.
Martin said:
Farmers have been misled by the NSW Government. It’s incredible this government has allowed generous capping exemptions for recreational shooters but for farmers who need firearms to control pests, minimise biosecurity risks and for the humane management of animals, the government hasn’t given us a second’s thought.
The Premier acknowledged farmers and agriculture had unique requirements when it came to firearms but these reforms have been put together in such a rush, the government hasn’t even turned its attention to the unintended consequences and anomalies.
Firearms laws are complex and multifaceted, and it is deeply disappointing that despite our repeated offers to provide practical input and consultation the government has not chosen to talk to us.
Martin said the cap of 10 firearms for primary producers will affect those whose businesses are spread across multiple properties, as it may require them to transport guns between properties, and said reducing the licence renewal period from five years to two was “red tape for law abiding farmers”.
NSW Farmers does not support unworkable rules on firearms for farmers and those working in agriculture, and we will continue to make representations on behalf of our sector.
The federal Coalition has this morning released its own terms of reference for a federal royal commission to investigate anti-Semitism in the lead up to the Bondi terror attack.
As AAP reports, the proposal includes scope to probe attitudes to Israel as well as the roles of Commonwealth and state governments and agencies, the media, education and cultural sectors, in relation to anti-Semitism and their potential contributions to the terror attack.
AAP writes:
Its proposed terms of reference include “the nature, prevalence and drivers of anti-Semitism in Australia leading up to the Bondi Beach attack ... including anti-Semitism based on race, religion and attitudes towards, or conduct relating to, the state of Israel”.
Pro-Palestinian activists have frequently sought to separate their criticism of Israel for its offensive in Gaza following Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attacks from any anti-Semitic activity that targets Jews.
Opposition Leader Sussan Ley said the prime minister’s response to the horrors of Bondi had been proposals that were “too little, too late and will take far too long”.
“If the prime minister does not confront the causes of the Bondi massacre with honesty and resolve, the victims of this terrorist attack and their families will be denied the justice they deserve,” she said.
“Bondi is what happens when hate is tolerated and warnings are ignored.”
Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our live news coverage for Monday 21 December.
Thousands gathered at Bondi beach in Sydney last night to hold a minute’s silence for the 15 people killed in last week’s terror attack. The first speaker at the event, the president of the NSW Board of Jewish Deputies, David Ossip, told the crowd of as many as 15,000 people that it “cannot be disputed” that a federal royal commission was needed. Prime minister Anthony Albanese on Saturday backed plans by the NSW Premier, Chris Minns, to hold a state-based royal commission to provide a “comprehensive look” into the shooting.
Minns was met with loud cheers at the event, as was the state opposition leader, Kellie Sloane, and federal opposition leader, Sussan Ley, while Albanese – who did not speak at the event – was booed.
The loudest and longest cheer came when Ossip acknowledged the “unbelievable bravery” of Ahmed al-Ahmed, who disarmed one of the gunmen and is still in hospital receiving treatment for multiple gunshot wounds. Ahmed’s father lit the first candle of the menorah, which was lit to mark the eighth day of Hanukah.
Meanwhile, the NSW parliament has been reconvened for two days for the introduction of tough new laws on gun ownership and cracking down on “hate speech”. The proposed laws include capping at four the number of firearms most recreational shooters can hold, giving the state “extraordinary powers” to ban protests for up to three months following the declaration of a terror incident, and banning the phrase “globalise the intifada”.
As Luca Ittimani explains, intifada means uprising or resistance, and is the term used by Palestinians to describe uprising against Israel.
Luca writes:
For Palestinians and their supporters it can mean resistance against oppression, but many Jewish groups and leaders see it as a call to violence against people of their faith.
Two Jewish groups in NSW which are vocal supporters of the Palestinian movement have spoken out against the proposed crackdown on protests, saying long-running pro-Palestine rallies had “nothing to do with the attacks”.
We’ll bring you more details on that proposed legislation as the day unfolds.
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