Australia Passes Gun Restrictions and Anti-Hate Speech Laws After Bondi Terror Attack - english.pardafas.com

Australia’s Parliament has passed new gun control measures and anti-hate speech legislation following a deadly terrorist attack at a Jewish festival in Sydney last month that killed 15 people. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Wednesday welcomed the passage of the laws, saying the government acted with urgency and unity after the December 14 shooting during Hanukkah celebrations at Bondi Beach. Authorities have said the attack was inspired by the Islamic State group. “At Bondi, the terrorists had hate in their hearts, but they had guns in their hands,” Albanese told reporters. “We said we wanted to deal with that with urgency and with unity, and we acted to deliver both.” The government initially planned to introduce a single bill but later split the reforms into two separate pieces of legislation — one addressing gun ownership and another targeting hate speech. Both bills were introduced in the House of Representatives on Tuesday and passed the Senate late the same day. The Greens supported the gun reform bill, while the opposition Liberal Party backed the anti-hate speech legislation. Albanese’s centre-left Labor Party holds a majority in the lower house but not in the Senate. Albanese said he would have preferred stronger hate speech provisions but acknowledged the need for compromise in the upper chamber. “If you can’t get laws passed in the wake of a massacre, then it’s difficult to see people changing their minds,” he said. The new gun laws introduce tighter restrictions on firearm ownership and establish a government-funded buyback program to compensate owners required to surrender their weapons. The anti-hate speech legislation allows authorities to outlaw extremist groups that do not meet Australia’s current definition of a terrorist organisation, including groups such as Hizb ut-Tahrir. Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke told Parliament that the two alleged gunmen — Sajid Akram, 50, and his 24-year-old son Naveed Akram — would not have been legally allowed to possess firearms under the new laws. The father, who was shot dead by police during the attack, legally owned the weapons used. The son, who survived, has been charged with dozens of offences, including 15 counts of murder and committing a terrorist act. Burke said the father would have been barred from gun ownership because he was not an Australian citizen, while the Australian-born son would also have been prohibited due to past surveillance by the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation over suspected extremist links. ASIO will play a role under the new hate speech laws in determining which groups should be banned. The neo-Nazi National Socialist Network has already announced plans to disband to avoid enforcement under the legislation. The opposition Nationals party broke ranks with its Liberal partners by opposing the anti-hate speech bill, warning it could undermine free speech. Nationals leader David Littleproud said amendments were needed to prevent unintended consequences affecting civil liberties and the Jewish community. Parliament had been due to resume its annual session in February but was recalled early to address what authorities described as Australia’s worst mass shooting since 1996. That year, a lone gunman killed 35 people in Tasmania, leading to sweeping national gun reforms and a buyback of nearly 700,000 firearms. However, Tasmania, Queensland, and the Northern Territory have resisted the federal push for a new buyback scheme, as states and territories would be required to fund half of the program’s cost. Burke said negotiations with state and territory governments would continue.The post Australia Passes Gun Restrictions and Anti-Hate Speech Laws After Bondi Terror Attack first appeared on epardafas.com.