US EditionGovernment splits hate speech and gun laws in bid to save Bondi reforms
The government separated gun reforms from hate speech laws to secure support after Greens and Coalition rejected the full Bondi Bill, aiming for bipartisan passage.
- On Saturday, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese split the Combatting Antisemitism, Hate and Extremism Bill, abandoning racial vilification provisions and separating gun laws into a standalone bill.
- After last month’s Bondi Beach attack killed 15 people, parliament was recalled early to pay respects and begin urgent debate as the Greens and the Coalition opposed the original bill.
- Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke revealed there are more than four million firearms in Australia, and the revised package includes a national gun buyback scheme plus measures to blacklist hate groups and deport non-citizen extremists.
- Introduced on Tuesday, the measures face immediate votes after Monday’s condolence motions, with passage now hinging on support from the Greens or the Coalition as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese warned they may not be revisited if they fail.
- With no Senate majority, Labor must secure crossbench support to pass these measures, while 26 religious leaders, legal experts and community groups urged a pause, warning the rushed timetable risks unintended consequences.
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16 Articles
Australian parliament holds moment of silence after Bondi attack
Australia's parliament returned early on Monday with speeches and a moment of silence for those killed in the Bondi Beach mass shooting, as victims' families watched from the public gallery. Two gunmen who police allege were inspired by Islamic State opened fire at a Jewish Hanukkah event on the city's iconic Bondi Beach last month, killing 15 people in the country's worst such incident in decades. The attack shocked the nation and led to calls …
Government splits hate speech and gun laws in bid to save Bondi reforms
The Albanese government has amended its proposed response to the Bondi Beach shootings, splitting its wide-ranging hate speech and gun reform package in two in a bid to secure passage through Parliament. Facing resistance from both the Coalition and the Greens over the breadth and rushed nature of the laws, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has made changes in hopes of receiving support from both political groups to pass each set of reforms.
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