After the Bondi Beach attack, Australia's most populous state, New South Wales, has passed sweeping new gun laws. The government says the measures are aimed at improving public safety, though they have sparked debate.

Council of the City of Sydney

The state of New South Wales, Australia, has introduced new legislation imposing stricter gun control and protest laws in response to a deadly attack at a Jewish Hanukkah celebration on Bondi Beach, where fifteen people were killed and dozens injured. The new measures include mandatory gun club membership for all firearms licence holders, a cap on individual gun licences, and a ban on public displays of symbols linked to prohibited organisations such as Islamic State, Hamas, and Hezbollah.

Additionally, the legislation grants police increased authority to restrict protests for up to three months following a declared terror attack. These changes have drawn criticism from activist groups and community members, who argue that the laws are anti-democratic and suppress political dissent. Some groups have announced plans to challenge the reforms in court.

Australian state passes tougher gun and protest laws

A crackdown on firearms, hate speech and protest after Australia's deadliest shooting in almost three decades. Fifteen people were killed and dozens more injured at a Jewish Hanukkah celebration on Bondi Beach on December 14th. The shock attack prompted calls for tougher gun laws and stronger action against anti-Semitism. Sydney and New South Wales has changed forever as a result of that terrorist activity last Sunday. This is important change, it's important legislation. It's unusual that we're back here on Christmas Eve, the day before nearly everybody breaks for a bit of time with family and friends but we couldn't wait, this was urgent. Under the new legislation, described by the state premier as the toughest gun laws in Australia, gun club membership will be mandatory for all firearms licence holders. Individual licences will be capped at four, while farmers will be permitted to own up to ten guns. Public display of flags and symbols of prohibited organisations such as so-called Islamic State, Hamas and Hezbollah has been outlawed and people breaking that law face being jailed for up to two years or fined 22,000 Australian dollars, that's around 12,500 euros. Police will also be granted more powers to impose restrictions on protests, for example for up to three months after a declared terror attack. It's those restrictions that are proving most controversial. We are deeply concerned, first of all about the anti-democratic nature of these proposed laws and secondly about the fact that it places us Jews in the crosshairs. Activist groups including Palestine Action Group Sydney and Jews Against the Occupation have condemned what they call draconian anti-protest laws. In a statement, they said it is clear that the new South Wales government is exploiting the horrific Bondi attack to advance a political agenda that suppresses political dissent and criticism of Israel and curtails democratic freedoms. Many groups in the community, critics of the reforms, are now signalling their plans for a constitutional challenge.

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