By NICHOLAS COMINO, POLITICAL REPORTER, AUSTRALIA and AUSTRALIAN ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: 23:28 BST, 15 August 2026 | Updated: 01:42 BST, 16 August 2026
Anthony Albanese has secured a major federal-state gun buyback deal for New South Wales following the Bondi Beach shooting, but the national proposal will become an election issue after opposition from One Nation's Pauline Hanson.
The agreement was announced by the Prime Minister and Premier Chris Minns on Sunday morning in Sydney.
National cabinet agreed to tackle antisemitism and strengthen firearms restrictions across the nation following the deadly December 2025 shootings.
Compensation will be paid from November 2 for firearms beyond the new ownership limits and for newly reclassified firearms, along with a flat fee for associated ammunition.
The scheme, which has not been picked up by some states or territories, will also provide financial assistance for businesses and industry to adjust to the reforms.
'Australians are quite rightly proud of our gun laws,' Albanese said during a press conference in Sydney on Sunday.
'But the fact is, there are more guns in Australia today than there were at the time of dealing with the Port Arthur gun buyback that occurred under the Howard government.
'This is about strengthening Australia's gun laws, and keeping our community safer.'
The Albanese government confirmed an agreement has been struck on a major federal-state gun buyback in New South Wales following the Bondi Beach shooting
Pictured: Guns with barrels crushed in Sydney after the Port Arthur massacre in 1996 are stacked after being handed over
A fixed price schedule will apply for individual licence holders beyond the new legal limit to return their firearms in exchange for compensation.
Eligible businesses and dealers will be offered up to $25,000 in grants and one-off licence fee relief worth $500 over two years per dealer.
Early 2027 will see a pathway to compensation, for a fee, for eligible higher-value firearms with an indicative market value above $3,000 and capped at $10,000 per firearm.
