Phillip Thompson (Herbert, Liberal National Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Defence) Share this | Hansard source

On 14 December 2025, Australia was confronted with a horrific terrorist attack at Bondi. This was an act of violent Islamist terrorism. Fifteen innocent people were murdered in an attack deliberately designed to terrorise the community and intimidate Australians far beyond the immediate victims. This was not random violence; it was a calculated, ideologically motivated assault on Jewish Australians and on the fundamental expectation that in this country people can worship, celebrate and gather in public without fear.

I know firsthand what extremism looks like. I fought radical Islamic terrorism in Afghanistan, where Australians were killed and wounded. Many now live with the enduring consequences of that conflict. We fought terrorism there so we would not have to fight it here on Australian soil. The protection of Australians in the defence of the nation is among the most serious responsibilities of any government. However, it must be stated plainly that the failure of leadership did not begin with this bill. It began more than 14 months before the attack, when Australia witnessed disturbing antisemitic protests on the streets of Sydney. These events were not ambiguous. They were not isolated. They were a clear warning sign that extremism and antisemitic intimidation were escalating. The time for decisive, targeted action was then. Instead, the Prime Minister chose inaction.

In December 2024, as a Jewish synagogue burned in Melbourne following a suspected terror attack, the Prime Minister's decision to stay in Perth playing tennis became a symbol of a broader failure of leadership. For over a year warnings were ignored, concerns were minimised and communities were left exposed. Now, in the wake of a terrorist atrocity, the government has rushed forward a sweeping and poorly conceived legislative process. This bill is not the product of careful leadership; it is a kneejerk reaction to a failure to act when it mattered most. The bill is fundamentally flawed. It is unclear in its operation, inadequately safeguarded, poorly consulted on and lacking the precision required for legislation. Coalition members cannot support this bill.

Coalition members unequivocally condemn antisemitism, hate motivated violence and violent Islamist extremism. However, we cannot support this firearms bill. The proposed national firearms buyback scheme and expanded import restrictions are poorly consulted, inadequately justified and lack the support of state and territory governments. Firearms regulation in Australia operates through cooperative federalism. Proceeding without the states' cooperation risks implementation failure and undermines an otherwise effective national framework. These measures unfairly burden lawful firearm owners, primary producers and sporting shooters while doing nothing to address the ideology responsible for the Bondi attack. Violent Islamist extremism, not firearms, caused the deaths of 15 innocent Australians.

We reaffirm our support for strong, targeted and enforceable measures to combat antisemitism, disrupt violent Islamist extremism and protect Australians, but legislation of this magnitude must be deliberate, precise and built on genuine consultation. It is critical that the Prime Minister now do what he failed to do earlier—lead. That means working constructively with all members of this House and, more importantly, with the Australian people to ensure this legislation should be and could be effective, proportionate and worthy of the freedoms it seeks to protect. National security demands unity and competence. Australia deserves nothing less.

This bill punishes law-abiding citizens and law-abiding firearms licence holders and does not go to the root of the cause of why we're here. And for those yelling out, 'You demanded to come back early!'—rightly so. The first rule of any government is to keep its people safe. When the terrorist attack happened, the coalition said, 'Let's go back to parliament and pass laws or pass bills that keep people safe'. That is not blind commitment to support bad legislation. To be given the legislation on a Monday, to start hearings on a Tuesday, to then get passed within a week whilst receiving more than 7,000 submissions to the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security, which crashed the website—this didn't allow the people to have their voice. This is not good leadership and people deserve better from this Prime Minister.

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