Tighter firearms restrictions in response to the Bondi terror attack have been enshrined into law, but a gun buyback faces obstacles from states and territories.

Hastily written-up legislation enabling the gun buyback and strengthening background checks and firearms importation rules passed the Senate on Tuesday night with the support of the Greens.

As he introduced the bill earlier in the day, Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said the father-and-son gunmen of the December 14 attack had “hate in their hearts and guns in their hands”.

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The measures would address the method of the massacre, as well as the motivation, Burke said.

“A critical question I’ve often been asked during this debate is, if this national reform package had already been in place, how many firearms would the Bondi gunmen have held?,” he said.

“The answer is zero.”

New gun laws will tighten licensing rules and expand intelligence checks. (Julian Smith/AAP PHOTOS) Credit: AAP

Under the reforms, the father would have been ineligible because he was not an Australian citizen, he said.

“And the son who didn’t have a firearms licence, in any event, had he tried any intelligence holdings with respect to him, would have formed part of the licensing decisions,” Burke said.

ASIO and ACIC intelligence assessments will be incorporated into gun licence background checks, while importation rules around high-rate-of-fire straight-pull rifles and shotguns will be tightened.

The changes closed long-standing and dangerous loopholes, gun control advocacy group the Alannah and Madeline Foundation said.

But questions remained about how the gun buyback would be put into practice, Greens Senator David Shoebridge said.

“We’d like a commitment from the government that fair value will be paid to ensure that the guns buyback will be as effective as it possibly can,” he said.

Sajid and Naveed Akram killed 15 people and wounded dozens more in the mass shooting. (PR IMAGE PHOTO) Credit: AAP

Liberal-led governments in the Northern Territory and Tasmania have refused to accept sharing the costs of the buyback, which would incentivise gun owners to hand their firearms in for payment.

The Queensland LNP government has also refused to participate in the scheme.

The Western Australia Labor government, which has recovered more than 83,000 firearms through its buyback scheme, provided unsolicited advice for its NT and Queensland counterparts.

“There’s a constituency out there in the community who oppose this,” WA Police Minister Reece Whitby said.

“The vast majority of Western Australians believe this is the right thing to do. I believe the vast majority of Territorians and Queenslanders also have that view.”

Shadow attorney-general Andrew Wallace lashed the national buyback scheme.

“The 1996 buyback (implemented by John Howard) was properly funded ... this buyback calls on the states and territories to foot half the bill, irrespective of their capacity to pay,” Wallace said.

The Liberals voted against the bill but the fiercest opposition came from the Nationals, who said the government was “demonising” law-abiding gun owners.

Nationals Leader David Littleproud speaks on the Combatting Antisemitism, Hate and Extremism (Firearms and Customs Laws) Bill 2026 during a federal parliament sitting following the Bondi terror attack at Parliament House in Canberra, Tuesday, January 20, 2026. (AAP Image/Mick Tsikas) NO ARCHIVING Credit: MICK TSIKAS/AAPIMAGE

Nationals leader David Littleproud called the gun bill a “cheap political diversion” from religious extremism.

He said his party supported a national gun register and the provision enabling firearms background checks, but said the bill went too far.

Nationals Senator Bridget McKenzie, an avid shooter, was accompanied by several stacks of papers bearing the signatures of 65,000 people opposed to the gun laws as she slammed the “dirty deal” with the Greens to get them over the line.

But independent Helen Haines, who represents the regional Victorian seat of Indi, backed the reforms, saying they did not target farmers, sporting shooters or other law-abiding gun owners.