A key piece of gun reform dating back to the 1996 Port Arthur massacre remains unfinished, and experts say it could have helped police assess the risk posed by the alleged Bondi Beach shooters before the attack. The national firearms register, designed to track weapons across the country in real time, was a priority for law enforcement and gun control advocates after the Port Arthur massacre, but its rollout has missed key milestones.
Alex Caruana, president of the Australian Federal Police Association, said that a robust national firearms database would have allowed New South Wales police to better assess the risk posed by the accused gunmen ahead of the attack. He noted that if such a database existed and was accessible to the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (Asio) in real time, dynamic risk assessments could have been made.
Sajid Akram, who was shot dead by police, held a firearm licence and owned six guns, which he and his son Naveed allegedly used to open fire on Jewish families celebrating Hanukah at Bondi beach. Naveed has been charged with 59 offences, including 15 counts of murder. Asio had assessed him in 2019, finding no ongoing threat, but it is unclear if the NSW firearms registry was aware of this association.
The national register was finally signed off by states and territories in 2023 after the Wieambilla shooting, but is not expected to be fully operational until 2028. A government document warned that until the register is delivered, risks from information gaps and delays in locating firearms will persist. The process has been hampered by poor resourcing and paper-based systems in some states, such as the ACT and Queensland.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said work on the register would be accelerated, noting that some states still use paper processes. The Victorian police minister said the government would do everything to meet earlier timelines. After a national cabinet meeting, the government outlined potential changes including limiting the number of firearms per person, issuing licences only to citizens, and a national gun buyback scheme. The NSW premier also proposed removing the civil appeals tribunal from the licensing process.
