Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has warned that Australia holds more guns today than at the time of the Port Arthur buyback, as he invited all states and territories to join a scheme launched in a federal funding deal with New South Wales.
Key facts
- Anthony Albanese spoke alongside NSW Premier Chris Minns about the state's gun buyback scheme.
- The scheme was agreed in response to the Bondi terror attack.
- Albanese said there are more guns in Australia now than at the time of the Port Arthur buyback under the Howard government.
- The buyback arrangements are available to every state and territory.
- Erin Patterson's appeal is set to start this week.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has warned that Australia currently holds more guns than it did at the time of the Port Arthur gun buyback, as he moved to expand a new buyback scheme nationally. Speaking alongside New South Wales Premier Chris Minns, Albanese said the state’s scheme had been agreed in response to the Bondi terror attack.
“Australians are quite rightly proud of our gun laws but the fact is there are more guns in Australia today than there were at the time of dealing with the Port Arthur gun buyback that occurred under the Howard government,” the prime minister said.
Albanese confirmed the arrangements are open to every state and territory. “These arrangements are available to every state and territory, and this reform comes on top of previous reforms that have been undertaken by my government in partnership with states and territories in particular the first ever development of a national firearms register,” he said.
The federal funding deal with NSW forms the basis of the scheme, which the prime minister invited other jurisdictions to join. The move builds on earlier firearms reforms, including what Albanese described as the first national firearms register developed under his government.
In separate developments covered in the same live coverage, the appeal of Erin Patterson is set to begin this week, according to the Guardian’s reporting.
Why it matters
Gun policy remains a sensitive issue in Australia, where the Port Arthur massacre and subsequent Howard-era buyback shaped the nation's firearms laws. Albanese's warning that gun numbers have since risen, alongside a push to extend the NSW buyback nationally, signals a renewed federal effort to tighten firearms controls following the Bondi terror attack.
Frequently asked questions
What prompted the NSW gun buyback scheme?
According to the Guardian, the NSW gun buyback scheme was agreed in response to the Bondi terror attack.
Which states can join the buyback scheme?
Albanese said the arrangements are available to every state and territory.
What did Albanese say about current gun numbers?
He said there are more guns in Australia today than there were at the time of the Port Arthur gun buyback carried out under the Howard government.