Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has praised the passage of tougher hate speech provisions and new firearms measures as the strongest reforms of their kind in Australia, after Parliament was urgently recalled following the Bondi attack.
Speaking at Parliament House on Wednesday, Albanese said the legislation, which cleared the Senate late on Tuesday night, struck a balance between urgency and consensus, delivering “real things done” in the face of a divided upper house.
The Prime Minister said the government moved quickly to act on recommendations from the Special Envoy on Antisemitism, Jillian Segal, although not all proposals — including a racial vilification provision — secured the numbers needed to pass.
“What we were able to do, though, was to get, with the support of the Greens, the strengthening of firearms laws and with the support of the Liberals and some crossbenchers as well, support for strengthening the provisions on hate speech,” he said.
“Not as strong as we originally put forward, but no doubt the strongest hate laws that have ever been put in place in Australia have now been achieved. That is a good thing.”
Albanese linked the reforms directly to the Bondi attack, saying “terrorists had hate in their hearts, but they had guns in their hands”, arguing the government had acted with “urgency and unity” to address both.
He said the government worked closely with Jewish community leaders and legal experts in drafting the laws, acknowledging the role of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry and thanking public servants who worked through the Christmas–New Year period to finalise the package.
The Prime Minister also called for national unity ahead of a Day of Mourning, encouraging Australians to mark the occasion with candles, flags at half-mast and participation in local commemorations.
Asked about criticism from former prime minister Scott Morrison, who accused him of shifting blame, Albanese dismissed the remarks and said Labor had consistently led reforms on discrimination and hate speech.
On firearms, Albanese criticised Queensland’s refusal to participate in the national gun buyback scheme, saying uniform national laws were in the interests of all Australians. He confirmed the Commonwealth was already funding the bulk of a nationwide firearms register overhaul, describing it as “absurd” that some states still relied on paper records.
The Prime Minister rejected suggestions Australians were less safe because some measures did not pass, saying the new laws would improve safety immediately. He also defended safeguards in the legislation, noting advice from security agencies including ASIO would inform decisions under the new regime.
Pressed on future reforms — including broader racial or religious vilification laws — Albanese said the government would now focus on implementing what had passed, arguing the Senate’s arithmetic made further progress difficult in the short term.
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