Corinne Mulholland (Queensland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Fifteen innocent lives were tragically lost at Bondi Beach. They were gunned down by two terrorists. One of the shooters had a firearms licence, and he was legally in possession of six weapons. Australia's current firearms laws entitled that gunman to own an uncapped number of guns. This bill, the Combatting Antisemitism, Hate and Extremism (Firearms and Customs Laws) Bill 2026, will stop that. He was not an Australian citizen, and this bill will stop non-citizens from holding a firearms licence. This bill will also stop the importation of rapid-fire guns.

These are sensible reforms in response to the Bondi massacre. They will protect our community and protect our law enforcement. These are important reforms for Queensland, where we have lost far too many police officers to criminals and murderers in possession of guns. As someone who has spent most of my career working alongside police, today I say their names: Constable Matthew Arnold, Constable Rachel McCrow, Senior Constable Brett Forte, Detective Senior Constable Damian Leeding, Constable Brett Irwin, Senior Sergeant Perry Irwin, Senior Constable Norman Watt. Each one of them was a Queensland police officer murdered by a person with a gun while doing their job. I say their names as a reminder that the gun debate is not an attack on law-abiding gun owners. It is about reducing risk. It is about safety. It is about protecting Australians and our law enforcement.

You see, the idea that Australia is safe from guns is a myth. The events of 14 December at Bondi are a shocking and painful reminder of that truth. The reality is that there are more guns on Australian streets now than when John Howard's original gun buyback scheme—