James McGrath (Queensland, Liberal National Party, Shadow Special Minister of State) Share this | Hansard source

As a Liberal National Party senator for Queensland, I know these gun laws are bad laws, and I won't support them. These gun laws punish millions of Australians. These gun laws punish millions of innocent, law-abiding Australians. These bad laws are punishing millions of law-abiding Australians who use guns for work, for recreation or for sport, or who just like to collect guns. We know that Labor are traditionally soft on crime, but today we learn that Labor are hard on law-abiding Australians, but the real dangerous weapons are antisemitism and radical Islamic extremism.

Islamic extremists have used knives. They've used cars, trucks, bikes, planes. But Labor didn't call for bans then, did they? These gun laws are a classic but sad overreach by a left-wing government that will punish innocent Australians as a diversion from their own failure to deal with antisemitism. Remember, the Bondi massacre did not start at 6.42 pm on Sunday 14 December; the Bondi massacre started on the steps of the Sydney Opera House, where an ugly mob of Islamic extremists gathered and shouted, 'F the Jews! Gas the Jews! Where's the Jews!'

And what did this Labor government do about Islamic extremism and the rising tide of antisemitism? It did nothing, and over the past two years Jewish Australians have suffered a cancerous tsunami of antisemitism. Jewish schools have to have high fences and security guards. Jewish school students hide their school uniforms when on public transport. Universities have become madrasahs of hatred. Synagogues are firebombed. Businesses are boycotted. Artists are cancelled. Homes and cars are attacked. Even last night, young Jewish Australians were abused on the streets of Melbourne. We wonder how this has come about. People shout out: 'From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.' People in this chamber have said that phrase. And we wonder how and why Bondi happened, when antisemites, including those in this chamber, have given a green light to such conduct and such behaviour!

The Prime Minister won't say sorry to Jewish Australians. He won't say sorry to Australians for failing in his No. 1 duty of keeping Australians safe. But he will, as a diversion, punish millions of innocent, law-abiding gun owners. I say to all the Queensland gun owners, gun clubs, shooters, whether for your recreation, sport or safety or because you like to collect guns: the LNP is standing up for you. Thank you for reaching out. I especially want to mention Matt Crossley and Laurie Choate for your counsel and your advice.

My colleagues in this chamber will move a series of amendments to try and improve these bad laws, but because of the dirty deal between Labor and the Greens, the amendments won't get up, so a bad law will pass and, sadly, debate will be guillotined because of the said dirty deal. We will vote against the bill because this bill, the Combatting Antisemitism, Hate and Extremism (Firearms and Customs Laws) Bill 2026, punishes innocent Australians when, in fact, what the government should be doing is going after radical Islam.