Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has proposed strengthening national gun laws following a mass shooting at a Hanukkah celebration on Sydney’s Bondi Beach that left at least 15 people dead and dozens more injured.
Speaking on Monday, Albanese said he would bring new gun control measures to a national cabinet meeting with state and territory leaders, including limits on how many firearms a licensed owner can possess. The announcement came after authorities confirmed that the older of the two suspected gunmen — a father who carried out the attack with his son — had held a gun licence for a decade and legally acquired six firearms.
“The government is prepared to take whatever action is necessary,” Albanese said. “That includes the need for tougher gun laws. People’s circumstances can change, people can be radicalized over time, and licences should not be granted in perpetuity.”
The shooting unfolded Sunday evening as families gathered along the beachfront for Hanukkah celebrations. Police say the two attackers fired indiscriminately into the crowd, killing a 10-year-old girl, a rabbi and a Holocaust survivor among the victims. At least 38 people were hospitalized following the attack.
One of the suspected shooters was killed by police at the scene, while the other — the 24-year-old son — was wounded and remains under guard in hospital. Authorities say criminal charges are likely once he recovers.
Albanese described the attack as an act of antisemitic terrorism and the deadliest mass shooting in Australia in nearly 30 years, despite the country’s strict gun laws introduced after the 1996 Port Arthur massacre.
He said some of the proposed changes would require cooperation from state governments. “Some laws sit with the Commonwealth, others with the states,” he said. “What matters is that we are all on the same page.”
New South Wales Premier Christopher Minns echoed that view, agreeing that gun licences should not be permanent and confirming that changes to state gun laws are forthcoming, though details have yet to be finalized.
“To be blunt, we need to make it harder to obtain these horrifying weapons that have no practical place in our community,” Minns said. “If you’re not a farmer or involved in agriculture, why do you need weapons that put the public at risk and make policing more dangerous?”
The attack has also reignited criticism that the federal government failed to act decisively against rising antisemitism. Jewish leaders and survivors questioned why the suspects were not detected before the shooting occurred.
“There’s been a lot of inaction,” said Lawrence Stand, a Sydney father whose 12-year-old daughter was attending a nearby Bar Mitzvah when the shooting began. “People warned about this, and still not enough was done.”
Alex Ryvchin, a spokesperson for the Australian Council of Executive Jewry, said the government’s foremost responsibility is public safety. “What we saw represents a profound failure,” he said, calling for a full investigation into how the attack was allowed to happen.
Police confirmed the father, 50, held a valid firearm licence that permitted ownership of rifles or shotguns for reasons such as sport shooting or pest control. Self-defence is not recognized as a valid reason under Australian law. He had migrated to Australia in 1998 and was a permanent resident at the time of his death.
Albanese also revealed that Australia’s domestic intelligence agency had investigated the son in 2019 for six months due to his associations with individuals linked to extremist activity, but concluded at the time that he posed no ongoing threat.
As investigations continue, Albanese said the government’s focus remains on accountability, public safety and preventing future attacks.
