Canberra: Australia’s long-discussed overhaul of gun control laws will take several months to implement, Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke has said, as the proposed reforms trigger a sharp political confrontation with the Coalition, which has branded the move a diversion from the government’s handling of rising antisemitism.
Mr Burke acknowledged that measures first floated nearly three decades ago cannot be rolled out immediately, despite renewed urgency following recent violent incidents. His comments come as experts continue to warn that the growing number of firearms in civilian hands increases the risk of deadly attacks, renewing calls for tighter regulation of the country’s estimated four million legally owned guns.
A central pillar of the reform push is the creation of a National Firearms Register, an idea originally proposed in 1996 after the Port Arthur massacre, in which 35 people were killed. While the concept has long enjoyed bipartisan rhetorical support, Australia’s states and territories only formally agreed to establish a national register in 2023, leaving decades of fragmented, state-based systems in place.
The issue has returned to the forefront following the Bondi attack, prompting the federal government to fast-track the nationwide database of all firearms. Mr Burke said it was “extraordinary” that existing arrangements had allowed a person living in suburban Sydney to legally possess six firearms, arguing that such gaps highlighted the urgent need for reform.
The renewed focus has also raised uncomfortable questions about why successive governments failed to modernize outdated firearms management systems sooner. In many jurisdictions, police and intelligence agencies still rely on paper-based records or poorly integrated databases, hampering effective information sharing and timely threat assessment.
Although the National Firearms Register is officially scheduled to become fully operational in 2028, Mr Burke conceded that the federal component of the system would not be completed until the second half of 2026. Until then, authorities will continue working with a patchwork of state and territory records.
In addition to the register, National Cabinet has agreed to review sweeping changes to existing gun laws. These include proposals to cap the number of firearms an individual can own, narrow the range of weapons considered legal, and require Australian citizenship as a condition for obtaining a gun licence.
The proposed reforms, however, have drawn fierce criticism from the federal Opposition. Coalition leaders have accused the government of using gun law reform to deflect attention from what they describe as a failure to respond decisively to a rise in antisemitic incidents across the country.
Nationals leader David Littleproud dismissed the gun control debate as a political distraction, insisting that Australia’s current firearms laws are already effective. “The existing gun laws work it’s how they are used,” he said. “This isn’t a gun problem; it’s an ideology problem.”
Former Liberal prime minister John Howard, who spearheaded the landmark 1996 gun reforms, also criticized the government’s renewed push following the Bondi attack, calling it an attempt to divert public attention. He sharply rebuked the government over antisemitism but stopped short of stating whether he believed further gun law reforms were necessary.
As the government presses ahead with its plans, the debate underscores a broader national reckoning over public safety, the legacy of unfinished reform, and the balance between tightening gun controls and addressing extremist ideologies a conversation that appears set to intensify in the months ahead.