Speaking to the media ahead of the National Cabinet meeting scheduled for 4 pm local time, Albanese said stricter gun controls—including limits on the number of firearms licensed to individuals and periodic reviews of licences—would be placed on the agenda
PM Anthony Albanese convened the National Cabinet in response to what he described as an act of terror and anti-Semitism at Bondi Beach. PIC/AFP
Prime Minister (PM) Anthony Albanese on Monday said the issue of tougher gun laws would be taken up at a meeting of the National Cabinet, signalling a possible tightening of Australia’s already strict firearms regulations following the deadly anti-Semitic terror attack at Sydney’s Bondi Beach, news agency ANI reported.
Speaking to the media ahead of the National Cabinet meeting scheduled for 4 pm local time, Albanese said stricter gun controls—including limits on the number of firearms licensed to individuals and periodic reviews of licences—would be placed on the agenda.
“This afternoon, at four o’clock, I will put on the agenda of the National Cabinet tougher gun laws, including limits on the number of guns that can be used or licensed by individuals, a review of licences over a period of time,” he stated.
Stressing the need for continuous oversight, PM Albanese added, “People’s circumstances change. People can be radicalised over a period of time. Licences should not be in perpetuity.”
Albanese said the federal government would present a proposal aimed at strengthening monitoring mechanisms.
“The Australian government will take to National Cabinet this afternoon a proposal to empower agencies to examine what can be done in this area,” he said.
Australia mass shooting: 24-year-old attacker undergoing treatment in hospital
Later in the day, Albanese convened the National Cabinet in response to what he described as an act of terror and antisemitism at Bondi Beach, ANI reported.
In a post on X, the Prime Minister said, “Today I convened National Cabinet to respond to the act of terror and antisemitism in Bondi last night. We stand with Jewish Australians and we stand against hatred and violence. Australia is stronger than those who try to divide us and we will come through this together.”
The attack targeted members of the Jewish community who had gathered at Bondi Beach to mark Hanukkah celebrations, according to CNN.
Authorities have declared the incident a terrorist attack. As per the latest update from New South Wales Health, 27 people remain hospitalised across Sydney after being injured in the mass shooting, CNN reported.
Investigators said the attack was carried out by a father-son duo. Police shot and killed the father at the scene, while the 24-year-old son is undergoing treatment in hospital, ANI reported.
Officials said the son, who was born in Australia, had previously been assessed by the country’s domestic intelligence agency, ASIO, which at the time found no indication that he posed a threat of engaging in violence. The father, who arrived in Australia in 1998, held a recreational hunting licence and was a member of a gun club, CNN reported.
New South Wales Premier Chris Minns has vowed an “overwhelming” response to the attack, as security remains heightened across the country.
Australia already enforces some of the world’s toughest gun laws, introduced nearly three decades ago after a mass shooting in Tasmania that killed 35 people. The incident prompted sweeping reforms within weeks, sharply restricting gun ownership and introducing strict licensing rules, according to CNN.
Official data from the Australian Institute of Criminology shows that between July 2023 and June 2024, Australia recorded 31 gun-related murders, translating to a homicide rate of 0.09 per 100,000 people.
(With ANI inputs)
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