Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced the government will decouple proposed new gun control laws from a separate, stalled bill targeting hate speech, following the Bondi Junction terror attack. The move comes after it became clear the racial vilification provisions lacked the necessary support in the Senate.
Legislative Deadlock Forces Bill Split
Facing opposition from both the Coalition and the Greens, the government's combined legislative package, crafted in response to the 14 December attack on a Jewish Hanukah celebration, was destined to fail. Anthony Albanese conceded the hate speech laws "do not have the support of the Senate" in their current form. However, Greens leader Larissa Waters indicated her party would back stricter firearm regulations, prompting the prime minister to agree to split the bill ahead of a special parliamentary sitting.
The government will now proceed solely with the firearms legislation when parliament reconvenes. This bill will establish a national gun buy-back scheme, described as the most significant since the Port Arthur massacre, and introduce tougher rules and penalties for gun importation. It will also create new criminal offences for online material related to manufacturing firearms and explosives.
Coalition Accused of Obstruction and Division
Prime Minister Albanese placed the blame for the impasse squarely on the Coalition and Opposition Leader Sussan Ley. He accused them of blocking laws they had previously demanded, suggesting internal Liberal party leadership contests were driving the opposition's stance. "The opposition is so obsessed with opposing things, they've now started opposing themselves," Albanese stated.
While the gun control measures are expected to pass with Greens support, the Coalition has signalled it does not back tighter ownership rules. Albanese challenged the opposition to clarify its position, stating, "The Coalition need to come up with what their position is, because at the moment they are defined by what they're against, but it's not clear what they're for."
Path Forward for Hate Speech Laws Remains Unclear
With the hate speech and anti-vilification provisions shelved, their future is uncertain. Larissa Waters called for the government to "start afresh" on a more comprehensive bill that aims to protect all communities from hatred, arguing the tight timeframe for the special sitting prevented adequate negotiation and legal scrutiny.
Separately, the government will still attempt to pass legislation granting powers to ban extremist hate groups, such as neo-Nazi organisations and Hizb ut-Tahrir, and to refuse visas for individuals holding extremist views. The special parliamentary sitting will also include a day of condolences for the 15 victims killed in the Bondi attack, which was carried out by an Islamic State-inspired terrorist.
