A new National Gun Buyback Scheme will be established to remove surplus, newly banned and illegal firearms from the community—the largest buyback since Australia’s landmark reforms in 1996.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced the scheme today as part of the Government’s response to Sunday’s deadly antisemitic, ISIS-inspired terrorist attack at Bondi Beach, underscoring the urgent need to strengthen Australia’s gun laws.
Australia last undertook major gun law reform after the Port Arthur massacre nearly three decades ago. Since then, the number of firearms in circulation has grown to more than four million—higher than at the time of that tragedy.
The Bondi Beach attack has highlighted serious gaps in the current system. One of the attackers was a licensed firearm holder and owned six guns—raising serious questions about how many firearms an individual should be allowed to possess.
“There is no reason someone living in the suburbs of Sydney needed this many guns,” Albanese said.
The National Gun Buyback Scheme will be jointly funded by the Commonwealth and the states and territories on a 50:50 basis, supported by new federal legislation.
As was done in 1996, states and territories will be responsible for the collection, processing and compensation for surrendered firearms. The Australian Federal Police will oversee the destruction of all firearms collected under the scheme.
The Government is calling on states and territories to agree to ambitious and consistent gun law reforms by March 2026, with legislation to be in place by 1 July 2026.
The buyback will support National Cabinet commitments to:
- Limit the number of firearms an individual can own
- Restrict open-ended firearm licences and the types of guns that are legal
- Make Australian citizenship a requirement for holding a firearm licence
- Accelerate the establishment of a National Firearms Register
- Expand the use of criminal intelligence to inform firearms licensing decisions
“The deadly terrorist attack at Bondi Beach is a national tragedy that can never be allowed to happen again. This national buyback scheme will help remove guns from our streets and make Australia safer for everyone,” Albanese said.
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke added, “Australia led the world on gun control after Port Arthur. A generation later, it’s time to update our laws once again.
“We must address both the motivation and the means behind these crimes. No one can reasonably explain why a single household needed so many firearms.”
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