State and Federal Governments must focus on the root cause of the Bondi terrorist attack and any policy response must address the fundamental failings behind this tragic incident.
The horrendous attack by radical Islamist terrorists has sent shockwaves through the nation and exposed the failure of governments to act on rising antisemitism since October 7, 2023.
Leader of The Nationals, Danny O’Brien, said state and federal governments should not solely focus on changes to gun laws, at the expense of a more comprehensive response to stamp out hate-fuelled violence.
“We are all appalled by this act of senseless violence. Government’s must focus on the root cause – a hateful ideology that has been enabled by governments failing to act against rising antisemitism.
“Australia already has some of the toughest gun laws in the world and we need to ensure that law-abiding firearm owners aren’t penalised unnecessarily.”
“We are open to sensible and proportionate changes like a national firearms register and only allowing Australian citizens to hold a licence, but not legal changes that will impact law-abiding firearm owners without making any difference to terrorists and criminals.”
Deputy Leader of The Nationals and Shadow Minister for Agriculture, Emma Kealy, said any response must be common sense.
“Our farmers need access to firearms for business operations, and they certainly don’t need more restrictions and regulations that won’t improve community safety.
“This is a gross failure of Labor Governments to take decisive action against antisemitism that has resulted in a horrific act of terror. Forcing law-abiding firearm owners to pay the price for policy failures does not take additional steps in keeping the community safe.”