SYDNEY, Jan 12 — Australia’s parliament will reconvene two weeks earlier than scheduled to pass new hate crime and gun control laws following the mass shooting at Bondi Beach that killed 15 people, the government said on Monday.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said both houses of parliament would sit from January 19 to 20 to debate and pass the legislation, and to formally offer condolences to the victims. Lawmakers had originally been due to return from their summer recess on February 3.
According to AFP, the move follows the December 14 attack at a Jewish festival at Bondi Beach, the deadliest mass shooting in Australia in nearly 30 years.
“The terrorists at Bondi Beach had hatred in their minds but guns in their hands — this law will deal with both,” Albanese told a news conference.
The proposed legislation would introduce new offences targeting “hate preachers”, increase penalties for hate crimes, expand bans on prohibited symbols, and establish a framework for a new list of banned hate groups. It would also allow the home affairs minister to reject or cancel visas of individuals deemed to be spreading hatred.
AFP reported that the laws would enable a national gun buyback scheme — the largest since reforms introduced after the 1996 Port Arthur massacre — alongside stricter checks for gun licences.
Details of the draft legislation are expected to be released on Tuesday. Last week, the government also announced a federal royal commission to investigate the Bondi Beach attack, examining issues ranging from intelligence failures to the prevalence of antisemitism in Australia.
Authorities have alleged that Sajid Akram and his son, Naveed, targeted Jewish festival-goers during the attack. Sajid was shot dead by police at the scene, while Naveed has been charged with terrorism and 15 counts of murder. — AFP
