Zali Steggall (Warringah, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

The Combatting Antisemitism, Hate and Extremism (Firearms and Customs Laws) Bill 2026 comes before the House in the shadow of the Bondi terrorist attack. In the weeks since the tragedy, my office has heard a consistent and deeply troubling question from the community: how did the attackers gain access to firearms? The government repeatedly tells Australians we have some of the strongest gun laws in the world, and many on this side have repeatedly said that, but the laws are only strong if they are maintained, enforced and fit for our modern reality. Since Port Arthur, these laws have been steadily eroded through complacency, inconsistency and a failure to keep pace with technology.

Australians can own firearms for legitimate recreational and occupational purposes, but ownership must always be matched with strong modern safety provisions. What concerns my community is the growing number of firearms held in dense urban areas and the simple question that follows: how many guns are actually in our communities? In 2026 Australia still does not have a national digital firearms register; instead, we rely on a paper based system. That is ludicrous. You have to renew your passport or your drivers licence, but we don't have a digital register of gun ownership. It's outdated, ineffective and, quite frankly, just unacceptable. Without a proper digital system we do not truly know how many guns exist, where they are and who has access to them. At a time of heightened social tension, increasing online radicalisation and a domestic violence crisis, this failure has very real consequences. We know that we need to act decisively, and I commend the government for doing this, but the process of this legislation is simply unacceptable. There has not been proper consultation, and there has not been time to properly review this legislation and assess whether it's actually strong enough.

The people in Warringah, overwhelmingly, want stronger national gun laws. They believe that firearms should not be in dense urban communities and that women escaping domestic violence should not have to fear that their former partners have access to firearms or licences. While we receive assurances constantly from police and government, the system fails when, ultimately, that violence remains. We know we need to act decisively. We need strong changes. I commend some changes, but we absolutely need to do more when it comes to this.

For more than a decade, gun lobby groups have sought to weaken our firearms laws. We've seen proposals to normalise expanded firearm use, including attempts to enshrine a so-called 'right to hunt' and to broaden access under land management frameworks. This bill sits within a broader and ongoing responsibility to put public safety ahead of political pressure. While there are strengthened controls at a federal level, particularly around the importation of firearms, we must also confront the growth of domestic firearm manufacturing in Australia. Production accelerated during COVID, largely beyond federal oversight. This is an area that requires stronger regulation by state and territory governments to ensure accountability and safety. We must ensure all Australians are safe from gun violence. We know from domestic violence allegations and interim AVOs that these areas should also be considered when it comes to background checks.

This is not the USA; this is Australia. We want genuinely strong gun controls. While I will support this legislation, I urge the government to go further and ensure that background checks properly assess the risk and safety of all Australians.

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