Australia’s capital to join gun buyback in response to Bondi Beach attack, Albanese says

Australia's capital, Canberra, will participate in a national gun buyback program as part of the government's response to a fatal attack at a Sydney Jewish festival. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese stated that the initiative aims to prevent future anti-Semitic terrorist incidents.

The federal government had already enacted laws in January for the gun buyback, stricter gun license checks, and a crackdown on hate speech. These measures were introduced following a December 14, 2025, gun attack at a Bondi Beach Hanukkah celebration in Sydney, the capital of New South Wales state. The Australian Capital Territory (ACT) is the first state to commit to the plan, which is set to launch on November 2.

"I thank the ACT Government for their collaboration as we work to take guns off our streets in order to better protect Australians," Albanese said in a statement. The ACT has 23,000 guns and over 7,000 firearms license holders. The buyback is intended to enhance public safety, particularly in the wake of an attack where legally obtained firearms were used.

This buyback will be Australia's largest since a similar campaign following the 1996 Port Arthur massacre in Tasmania, where a gunman killed 35 people. The government has reported a record 4.1 million firearms in Australia in 2025. The suspects in the Bondi Beach attack, a father and son allegedly inspired by the Islamic State, face multiple murder charges.

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I thank the ACT Government for their collaboration as we work to take guns off our streets in order to better protect Australians.