Australia’s parliament will reconvene early to pass new hate crime and gun control legislation following the deadly Bondi Beach mass shooting.
SYDNEY: Australia’s parliament will reopen two weeks early to pass new laws targeting hate crimes and gun ownership. The move follows the mass shooting at Bondi Beach last December that killed 15 people.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (pic) said he would recall both houses for a sitting from January 19-20. Parliament was originally scheduled to return from its summer break on February 3.
“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 create new offences for “hate preachers” and stiffen penalties for hate crimes. It would also expand a ban on prohibited symbols and establish a framework for a list of banned hate groups.
The home affairs minister would gain powers to reject or cancel visas for people intending to spread hatred. The laws would also enable the launch of a national gun buyback scheme, the largest since the 1996 Port Arthur massacre.
Stricter checks for gun licences would also be imposed under the reforms. The government will release the draft laws publicly on Tuesday.
Last week, the government announced a royal commission to investigate the Bondi Beach shooting. The inquiry will examine intelligence failures and the prevalence of antisemitism in Australia.
The alleged attackers, Sajid Akram and his son Naveed, targeted a Jewish Hannukah celebration. Sajid, 50, was killed by police, while Naveed, 24, has been charged with terrorism and 15 murders.
