The 15 December 2025 “Bondi Accord” marks a pivotal turning point in Australian history, as the National Cabinet moves to drastically tighten the 1996 National Firearms Agreement.
Triggered by a mass shooting at a Bondi Beach Chanukah celebration that has so far claimed 15 lives, the reform package aims to close decades-old loopholes, including the immediate acceleration of a National Firearms Register and the introduction of a mandatory citizenship requirement for gun ownership.
The tragedy has polarised the public debate. While advocates like Roland Browne call for an end to recreational hunting and child firearm use to ensure community safety, the Greens and the Alannah & Madeline Foundation support tighter restrictions on gun ownership, Carlo Di Falco MHA of the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party argues that the reforms unfairly target law-abiding citizens and represent a failure of administration rather than legislation. As New South Wales and Tasmania prepare for potential emergency parliamentary sessions, the nation faces a profound reckoning over the proliferation of firearms in metropolitan areas and the long-term efficacy of its “gold standard” gun controls.
Roland Browne Calls for End to Recreational Hunting and Age Limit Reforms Following Bondi Tragedy
Roland Browne, Vice President of Gun Control Australia, joined Leon Compton on ABC Radio Hobart to discuss whether the nation has moved far enough since the reforms brought in after the Port Arthur massacre in 1996.
Leon Compton: The Prime Minister said he will act. What do you think he should do in meeting with the National Cabinet and talking about changes to gun ownership in this country?
Roland Browne: Well, he has to be focused on community safety. That is the starting point. He needs to look to conclude the implementation of the round of reforms from the National Firearms Agreement in 1996. We still do not have a national registration system in place after almost 30 years, so he needs to push the accelerator on that.
The National Firearms Agreement made no provision for people to have use or ownership of a gun under the age of 18. Yet extraordinarily, kids in Australia down to the ages of 10 or 12 can use guns. Times have passed that by because children under 16 cannot even use Facebook anymore in this country. It is anomalous that they can actually have access to use and possess a firearm.
Leon Compton: There is lots to discuss, but on that point, parents will want to teach their children how to legally use firearms at an early age. Whether that is sporting shooters introducing them to the pastime or teaching them on the farm how things work. Do you think that practice should be ruled out now, Roland Browne?
Roland Browne: Yes, and that was the position in 1996. The minimum age for the use of a firearm was 18 and there is no reason that should be sidestepped. You cannot join the army and use a gun until you are 18. It should be the same for civilian use and possession of firearms.
This is serious business. The use of guns by children is pushed by the gun lobby as a promotion to sell firearms and ammunition and to promote a gun culture, no different to the cigarette lobby trying to push cigarettes onto kids. It is unnecessary. We do not need it.
We need to see guns as tools. We need to identify those categories of licences that have social utility and public safety considerations as paramount. Those are collectors, farmers, people involved in animal population control and target shooters. Our experience is, as a generalisation, that people with those licences are safe with their guns. They store them properly. But the same cannot be said for the anomalous category of recreational hunting, which is ambiguous. It is not defined and is basically a licence to go and shoot animals as part of recreation.
Leon Compton: You are a Tasmanian. Like everybody here, you will know a large number of people that hunt deer or duck and use firearms for recreational hunting purposes in this state. Do you believe that practice and ownership of firearms should end for that class of hunter?
Roland Browne: I think deer is a really good topic to be discussing. What we have is a situation where, on the one hand, deer are not controlled. They run riot through national parks and farms causing tremendous crop damage. The reason they are not controlled is that the government wants to keep them available as some kind of resource for recreational hunters.
If we want to control deer that should be done by professional shooters. So the argument that we need deer to allow recreational hunters to do their thing is a circular argument and unjustifiable. Similarly, duck shooting has been banned in other states in Australia and it is well past time for it to be banned in Tasmania. Again, it is just another area of shooting animals for recreation. We are past that. We must have evolved as a community to be past that.
Leon Compton: Can I keep you for another couple of minutes just to ask you to respond to Carlo De Falco, member of the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party, talking to Rick Goddard on Southern Breakfast this morning?
Carlo De Falco: “No amount of legislation would have stopped what happened on Sunday… We shouldn’t be rushing this through because people are still in shock, and it’s just not the way that democracy is supposed to be run.”
Leon Compton: Roland Browne, can I ask you to respond to that? Is there no amount of reform based on what we know at this stage that could have stopped the evil and atrocities of Sunday evening in Bondi?
Roland Browne: Look, the gun lobby says that in America. The gun lobby has been saying that in Australia and Tasmania since I have been involved in this issue since 1987. They do not accept any reform to firearm laws. They do not accept any limit on the number of guns.
They want to bring back silencers. They want to have high-powered ammunition available. They want military-style firearms to be freed up in this state and this country. It is a dangerous recipe. We need to focus on public health, and Carlo De Falco is wrong, and so is the gun lobby that backs him.
Media release – Carlo Di Falco MHA, Shooters, Fishers and Farmers member for Lyons, 16 December 2025
Protecting law abiding citizens and Tasmanian’s way of life’
In an interview this morning on ABC with Leon Compton – Roland Browne made some remarks that were not based in reality. I do want to give him credit for his statement’s collecting is a legitimate reason for ownership and target shooting is also.
Then he went awry, he claimed I want to bring in ‘military style firearms’ – This is categorically false; the firearms we use for recreational hunting are more than adequate and have been used safely by the community for decades.
‘People under 18 shouldn’t have access to firearms’ – People under the age of 18 are always under direct supervision from a licensed adult and cannot legally own them. Regional Tasmanians of all ages have been safely using firearms to protect their crops and maintain wildlife populations for generations.
In the wake of the horrific and deeply distressing events at Bondi, our thoughts remain firmly with the victims, their families, and the first responders who acted with courage under unimaginable circumstances. This was a senseless act of violence that has shaken communities across the country.
It is precisely because emotions are running so high that governments must resist the urge to rush through sweeping changes to firearm laws that would have little to no impact on preventing tragedies of this nature. Australians expect serious, measured leadership, not policy responses driven by fear or political opportunity.
The proposed gun law changes currently being canvassed would overwhelmingly affect law abiding firearms owners who already comply with some of the strictest regulations in the world. Licensed shooters, farmers, sporting clubs and regional communities are not responsible for the actions of violent offenders, and it is unfair and ineffective to treat them as such.
Early reporting and available information indicate this incident was not the result of a failure of existing firearm laws. It was the failure to administer them. That raises serious questions about why further restrictions on licensed owners are being proposed instead of investigating the failures of security services.
Australia’s firearm framework should be reviewed, If there are gaps, they should be identified through evidence, proper consultation, and parliamentary scrutiny, not through reactive legislation introduced in the immediate aftermath of tragedy.
We must also be clear that exploiting community grief to advance unrelated or ideologically driven reforms risks undermining public trust. Good lawmaking requires facts, consultation with stakeholders, and a clear understanding of the problem being addressed.
This is a time to support victims, strengthen frontline services, and allow investigators to do their work. It is not the time for rushed laws that will burden responsible citizens while failing to address the root causes of violence.
Media release – Vica Bayley MHA, Greens Acting Leader, 16 December 2025
Greater Gun Controls Needed
In the wake of the devastating attack on the Jewish community at Bondi Beach, we must come together to make sure such horrific gun violence can never happen again.
After the tragedy at Port Arthur, world-leading gun controls were implemented across the country. Now is another moment demanding leaders step up to implement stronger firearms laws.
The Greens welcome the commitments made by National Cabinet to strengthen gun controls nationwide. It’s vitally important that we progress reforms, including a National Firearms Register and limiting the number and type of firearms a person can own.
This moment is beyond politics. We all have a responsibility to ensure community safety.
The Greens will work with the Tasmanian Government to pass reforms which tighten the rules around gun ownership and help to achieve a safer community.
Media release – Alannah & Madeline Foundation, 16 December 2025
The Alannah & Madeline Foundation calls for stronger gun laws in wake of Bondi terror attack – Alannah & Madeline Foundation
Earlier this week, Australia was shaken by an act of terror and mass violence when two gunmen opened fire on a Chanukah celebration at Bondi Beach in Sydney.
For the Alannah & Madeline Foundation’s founding patron, Walter Mikac, and many other Australians, this tragedy reopens deep and painful wounds of the Port Arthur tragedy in 1996.
Established in the shadows of Port Arthur almost 30 years ago, the Alannah & Madeline Foundation has advocated safe, strong and responsible gun laws, so that no more families have to endure the pain of gun violence.
In the three decades since Port Arthur, the Foundation has been working persistently to hold the line on the reforms agreed to after the tragedy in the face of the relentless undermining of our laws by the firearm industry.
“The community, rightly, expects our gun laws to place tight restrictions on gun ownership and use – and for there to be fewer, not more, guns in our community, especially in light of Sunday’s tragedy,” said Sarah Davies, Alannah & Madeline Foundation CEO.
In a report published last year, the Australia Institute found that there were 25% more guns in Australia in 2025 than there were at the time of the Port Arthur tragedy. The same report found that 1 in 3 firearms in NSW were located not in rural or regional areas, but in major cities.
“Honouring those killed at Bondi Beach – and the legacy of my daughters, Alannah and Madeline – requires more than words of sympathy. It requires courage and a renewed commitment to public safety as the guiding principle of our firearm laws. Australia has led the world before – we can, and must, do so again,” said Walter Mikac AM.
We call on all Governments and National Cabinet to strengthen and uphold Australia’s National Firearms Agreement through the implementation of the following:
Explicitly prohibit the use of firearms by children
Establish a National Firearms Council
Introduce robust licensing renewal processes
Limit the number of firearms per individual
Update the firearms classification system to restrict more firearm categories
Establish national reporting and oversight
End metropolitan home storage for non-occupational firearms
End unlicensed shooting
End recreational hunting as a standalone justification (licence category) for firearm ownership
“We stand ready to work with leaders across the country,” Davies said.
“The choices made now will determine whether this moment becomes another turning point — or a missed opportunity to save lives.”
The Bondi Accord – National Cabinet Responds to Terror
Following a snap virtual meeting of the National Cabinet on Monday, 15 December 2025, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and state leaders have formalised the “Bondi Accord.” This emergency agreement marks the most significant expansion of the National Firearms Agreement since its inception in 1996.
The Accord was triggered by revelations that the older of the two Bondi gunmen had legally amassed six firearms over a decade, despite later becoming radicalised. The primary pillars of the new agreement include:
Accelerated National Register: The previous 2028 completion date has been scrapped. Leaders have tasked police ministers to integrate state registries into a unified national database by late 2026.
Citizenship Conditionality: In a major policy shift, Australian citizenship will now be a mandatory condition for holding a firearm licence, moving away from current residency-based rules.
Ending ‘Licences in Perpetuity’: National Cabinet unanimously agreed to implement mandatory, periodic reviews of all licences. Prime Minister Albanese stated, “People’s circumstances can change… licences should not be for life.”
Intelligence-Based Vetting: Real-time criminal intelligence will now be used to “underpin” licensing, allowing authorities to flag radicalisation risks even if no prior criminal record exists.
Customs & 3D Printing: The Federal Government will immediately commence work on further restrictions for gun imports, specifically targeting novel technologies and equipment capable of creating high-capacity magazines or 3D-printed firearms.
NSW Premier Chris Minns has already flagged that state parliament may be recalled over the summer to fast-track these legislative changes, declaring that “massive weapons of destruction” have no place on Sydney’s streets.
Prime Minister Albanese announces tougher gun laws
This video provides direct footage of the Prime Minister’s announcement regarding the 2025 reforms following the Bondi Beach tragedy.
Media release – Tasmania Police, 24 November 2025
Firearms seized in Huon Valley
Illegal firearms and other weapons have been seized during a search of a property in the Huon Valley.
The search at the weekend was an investigation by police in the Kingston Division and resulted in the seizure of guns, weapons and a quantity of illegal drugs.
Reducing the number of illicit firearms in the community is a priority for Tasmania Police and it is pleasing to see that these unregistered firearms no longer represent a threat to the public.
Now seized, they will be destroyed following the completion of court proceedings.
A permanent firearms amnesty exits in Tasmania. Unregistered or unwanted firearms can be surrendered to police, or firearms dealers, without action being taken in relation to possession offences.
