In response to the mass shooting at Sydney’s Bondi Beach that killed at least fifteen people during a Hanukkah celebration, the Australian government has announced a substantial national gun buyback scheme aimed at reducing the number of firearms in civilian hands.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the initiative — the largest since the post-Port Arthur reforms of nineteen ninety-six — reflects the need to strengthen public safety and address gaps exposed by the terrorist attack.

The scheme will focus on purchasing surplus, newly banned and illegal firearms, with costs shared between the federal government and the states and territories.

The Bondi Beach massacre, in which a licensed gun owner and his son opened fire on crowds, has intensified scrutiny of Australia’s gun control framework, long regarded as among the world’s strictest.

The father had six legally registered firearms, prompting debate over how such weapons could be acquired and retained under existing licensing systems.

In parallel with the buyback announcement, state and territory leaders, in consultation with national cabinet, have agreed to consider broader reforms including tighter licensing, restrictions on who may hold a firearm licence and limits on the number and types of guns that individuals can own.

The government’s policy direction marks a significant development in Australia’s gun law evolution, which has historically included national coordination to ban high-risk weapons and introduce buyback programmes following mass killings.

The current scheme aims to retrieve firearms that pose heightened risk and complement proposed legislative changes to background checks, licensing criteria and firearms import restrictions.

As part of the broader gun law overhaul, authorities have also discussed measures such as barring non-nationals from obtaining firearm licences and incorporating criminal intelligence into licensing assessments.