• The Australian government announced a gun buyback scheme following a mass shooting at Bondi Beach.
• Prime Minister Albanese stated there are over 4 million firearms in circulation, more than at the time of the 1996 Port Arthur massacre.
• The scheme is the largest since reforms were enacted after the Port Arthur massacre that killed 35 people.
• Two gunmen—father and son—conducted the attack, leading to 15 deaths and multiple injuries.
• Albanese plans a national day of reflection and urges stronger gun control measures.

In response to the recent attack at Sydney's Bondi Beach, which resulted in 15 fatalities, the Australian government has announced a national gun buyback scheme, described as the largest since the significant reforms following the Port Arthur massacre in 1996. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese emphasized that there are now more than four million firearms in Australia, a figure greater than what existed during the time of the Port Arthur incident, which claimed 35 lives. He stated, "There is no reason someone living in the suburbs of Sydney needed this many guns," referring to the fact that one attacker held multiple high-powered rifles. Joining him was Home Minister Tony Burke, as they both articulated the urgent need for gun law reform in the wake of evolving security threats, according to BBC, Al Jazeera, and AA.

The bondi beach attack has been classified as a terrorist act, with reports indicating that the two assailants, a father-son duo, were driven by "Islamic State ideology." The incident has shocked the nation and has incited Prime Minister Albanese to call for tougher hate crimes legislation, highlighting a surge in anti-Jewish sentiment that has permeated Australia post the October 2023 conflict involving Hamas and Israel. “It was an attack on our Jewish community – but it was also an attack on the Australian way of life,” he remarked, embodying the emotional toll this tragedy has inflicted on the country, according to BBC and Al Jazeera.

Albanese's plan also includes provisions for legislation that will allow states to collaborate with federal authorities to share the costs associated with the buyback scheme. This move is expected to collect and destroy hundreds of thousands of surplus and illegal firearms. "We expect hundreds of thousands of firearms will be collected and destroyed through this scheme,” he stated, reinforcing the commitment to significantly reduce gun violence in the nation. Moreover, a National Day of Mourning will be organized early next year to honor the individuals lost during the event, according to BBC, Al Jazeera, and AA.