The New South Wales parliament has passed controversial new gun and protest laws in response to the Bondi terror attack, following a marathon debate that stretched into the early hours of the morning. The bill passed 18 votes to eight, with a key amendment from the Greens on tightening firearms laws for people with suspected terrorist links.
The Greens amendment, which received unanimous support, ensures the police commissioner will not grant a firearms permit to anyone known to have been investigated by a Commonwealth or state law enforcement or intelligence agency for terrorism-related offences, or anyone with an association to members of a proscribed terrorist organisation. This includes individuals living at the same residential dwelling as someone previously investigated for terrorism-related offences.
Greens MP Sue Higginson described the amendment as "very simple" and "necessary," stating that existing provisions under firearms laws were too "broad" and "general." Independent MP Mark Latham noted that if the provision had been in place years ago, the Bondi gunman would not have accessed his firearms, potentially preventing the tragedy.
The legislation also restricts mass protests in the wake of a terrorism incident. The Greens described these protest reforms as "an assault on democratic freedoms" and abstained from the final vote. Independent MP Rod Roberts called the bill a "knee-jerk bill that punishes 99.9 per cent of law-abiding firearms owners."
The bill now returns to the lower house for rubber-stamping later this morning. Government frontbencher Penny Sharpe defended the legislation as a "balanced bill" aimed at addressing the Bondi massacre and ensuring the strongest gun laws in the country.
