Australia gun buyback spurred by Bondi attack to start in November, PM says

What the report says

Australia is preparing a new gun buyback program in New South Wales, with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese saying it will begin in November as part of the response to the deadly Bondi Beach attack in Sydney last year. According to Al Jazeera, the plan is tied to broader efforts to reduce firearm ownership and follows earlier tightening of gun laws after major mass shootings in Australia.

The article says the buyback will be paired with stricter gun licence checks and a wider crackdown on hate. New South Wales is scheduled to start the scheme on November 2, offering owners up to 1,000 Australian dollars, or about US$700, for each handgun or rifle surrendered. The government has said Australians owned a record 4.1 million firearms last year, including more than 1.1 million in New South Wales.

Al Jazeera reported that the measures are a reaction to the December 14, 2025 attack at a Hanukkah celebration on Bondi Beach, which killed 15 people. Police have said the attack was carried out by a father and son and was inspired by ISIL, while one surviving suspect remains before the courts. Albanese linked the current effort to the legacy of the 1996 Port Arthur massacre, which led Australia to impose sweeping restrictions on automatic and semi-automatic weapons.