The home affairs minister, Tony Burke, is now introducing the gun control bill to parliament.
Speaking in the house, Burke says the alleged Bondi shooters “had hate in their hearts and guns in their hands”, and that the government must do everything it can to combat both the motivation and the method of the alleged killing.
Earlier this week, the government released numbers showing Australians own more than 4m guns. Burke says:
It comes as a shock to most Australians that Australia now has more firearms than we had before Port Arthur, nearly 30 years ago, many people are also surprised to see that it was possible for a visa holder to have a licence, and that the information held by our intelligence agencies was not integrated into the firearms licensing decisions.
A critical question that I’ve often been asked during this debate is, if this national reform package had already been in place, how many firearms would the [alleged] Bondi gunmen have held? Would it be six? Would it be five? Would it be four? The answer is zero.
On the buyback, Burke says the scheme will purchase “surplus and newly restricted firearms”.
Updated at 17.18 EST
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Benita Kolovos
CFA annual report shows increase in funding
A delayed annual report for Victoria’s Country Fire Authority has been tabled in parliament this morning, showing the government has actually increased funding for the emergency service.
The report, which was due by the end of October, shows the service received $361.3m in grants in 2024-25, an increase of $21.8m on the previous financial year, when the service received its lowest funding across the forward estimates, $339.5m.
The report was due to be tabled last year but delayed, with the government blaming the Victorian Auditor-General’s Office for the hold up. VAGO responded saying it had provided its report to the government on 11 November.
In a letter attached to the annual report, the emergency services minister, Vicki Ward, said she received the report on 18 December:
As a result of delays in the process to finalise the Annual Report, it was unable to be tabled by 31 October 2025.
Both the government and the CFA have maintained the service has not had a funding cut. Instead, they have said its annual budget fluctuated according to fire risk.
Penry Buckley
Origin CEO says keeping Eraring open ‘provides more time for renewables’
The chief executive of Origin Energy says the decision to keep Australia’s largest coal-fired energy plant, Eraring, open will allow more time for the renewable energy transition.
In a statement shared to the ASX this morning, the Origin CEO, Frank Calabria, said:
Good progress is being made on the delivery of new energy infrastructure including major transmission works and projects like our large-scale battery at Eraring, but it has become clear Eraring power station will need to run for longer to support secure and stable power supply.
Our decision to keep Eraring operating until April 2029 provides more time for renewables, storage and transmission projects to be delivered, and reflects uncertainty regarding the reliability of Australia’s ageing coal and gas fleet.
Calabria says the extension is not expected to affect Origin’s 2030 emissions reductions targets and 2050 net zero plans.
The ash dam at Origin Energy’s Eraring power station. Photograph: Peter Hannam/The GuardianShare
Updated at 17.37 EST
Tom McIlroy
Intelligence and security committee urges MPs to ‘work together in a constructive and collaborative manner’
Parliament’s powerful committee on intelligence and security has recommended MPs pass legislation responding to the Bondi beach terror attack, and “work together in a constructive and collaborative manner” to combat antisemitism, hate and extremism.
A rushed inquiry by the parliamentary joint committee on intelligence and security (PJCIS) has considered Labor’s legislation, including draft hate speech laws and plans for a national gun buyback scheme.
Now split into two bills, the legislation is expected to pass in an emergency sitting today.
The PJCIS recommended provisions on hate crimes and migration as well as firearms reforms be passed.
Made up of Labor and Coalition MPs, the committee said the guns bill should be amended to include a specific defence for individuals who hold a valid licence permitting them to manufacture, repair, maintain or modify firearms, and ensuring that possession or access to firearms, or explosives‑manufacture material, “is not criminalised where the material relates to conduct lawfully authorised under that licence”.
Coalition MPs on the committee issued a dissenting report, calling the bill “poorly drafted, unclear in its operation, insufficiently safeguarded and inadequately consulted on in a transparent manner”.
They said the inquiry was too rushed and the bill should not proceed.
Updated at 17.36 EST
Gun legislation ‘fundamentally flawed’ says opposition
Speaking after Burke, the shadow attorney general, Andrew Wallace, says the government has taken a “politically driven” approach to the laws, which places “disproportionate burdens” on lawful owners.
Wallace says the opposition will refer the bill to a Senate committee to report back in March this year, and will also move amendments in the Senate.
This proposed gun legislation is fundamentally flawed … Evidence before the PJCIS [parliamentary joint committee on intelligence and security] inquiry demonstrated that these measures are poorly constructed, inadequately justified and unlikely to achieve their stated objectives … the government has chosen a reactive, politically driven approach to the preparation of these proposed laws.
While the government has said their proposed buyback scheme follows a similar program to former Liberal prime minister, John Howard’s, in the aftermath of the Port Arthur massacre, Wallace says this “could not be further from the truth”.
Wallace claims the buyback will be based on prices under market values which he says will provide “little to no incentive for owners to hand in their guns”.
The 1996 buyback gathered covered ammunition and those pieces of equipment, such as scopes and spare parts rendered unusable by virtue of the handing in of individual guns under this buyback, states are told these items explicitly are excluded from compensation. The 1996 buyback compensated legitimate businesses involved in the firearms industry who had suffered due to the buyback arrangements. States under this legislation have been told that these businesses will receive nothing, zip, nada.
Updated at 17.28 EST
Amanda Meade
Isabella Higgins to replace Sabra Lane as ABC AM presenter
Former ABC Europe correspondent Isabella Higgins will take over from Sabra Lane as AM presenter, listeners to the flagship radio program were told this morning.
A former Indigenous affairs correspondent and social affairs reporter, the Torres Strait Islander woman joined the ABC in 2014 where she worked her way up through regional and state newsrooms.
It’s an absolute privilege to take on this role at AM, a program with such a strong legacy and loyal audience.
I still recall my joy at getting my very first story on AM as a young reporter and can’t quite believe I’ll be taking on the role of host. Sabra Lane and all the other past hosts leave enormous shoes to fill.
The director of news, Justin Stevens, paid tribute to the “formidable work” from Lane, who is stepping down after nine years in the role.
Updated at 17.20 EST
Australia’s largest coal plant to continue running for two further years
Penry Buckley
Australia’s largest coal-fired power plant, Eraring in Lake Macquarie, will stay open for an additional two years, the NSW government has confirmed.
The energy provider had previously agreed a deal with the NSW government to extend Eraring’s closure from 2025 to 2027.
In a statement shared just now, the NSW environment minister, Penny Sharpe, confirmed operator Origin Energy had notified the NSW government, the Australian Stock Exchange and the Australian Energy Market Operator that it will operate Eraring Power Station until April 2029. She said:
Origin’s decision gives certainty to workers, the market and energy consumers across the state, as well as contributing to NSW’s 2030 emissions reduction target.
My number one job is keeping the lights on and putting downward pressure on power prices. NSW is making real progress replacing ageing coal-fired power stations. Since the election, we have increased the amount of renewable energy capacity in operation by almost 70%. That’s equivalent to Eraring’s capacity.
Updated at 17.19 EST
Government introduces gun reform legislation
The home affairs minister, Tony Burke, is now introducing the gun control bill to parliament.
Speaking in the house, Burke says the alleged Bondi shooters “had hate in their hearts and guns in their hands”, and that the government must do everything it can to combat both the motivation and the method of the alleged killing.
Earlier this week, the government released numbers showing Australians own more than 4m guns. Burke says:
It comes as a shock to most Australians that Australia now has more firearms than we had before Port Arthur, nearly 30 years ago, many people are also surprised to see that it was possible for a visa holder to have a licence, and that the information held by our intelligence agencies was not integrated into the firearms licensing decisions.
A critical question that I’ve often been asked during this debate is, if this national reform package had already been in place, how many firearms would the [alleged] Bondi gunmen have held? Would it be six? Would it be five? Would it be four? The answer is zero.
On the buyback, Burke says the scheme will purchase “surplus and newly restricted firearms”.
Updated at 17.18 EST
PM pays tribute to former Labor strategist Tim Picton
As parliament begins this morning, Anthony Albanese is making a statement on the death of former Labor campaign strategist, Tim Picton.
Albanese says Picton was highly respected across politics, and worked across the South Australian, Victorian, federal and Western Australian governments. He led the Labor campaign in WA in 2021 that saw Mark McGowan’s landslide win.
Albanese says:
Tim Picton was not only very effective as a political operator, as a human being he was remarkable, he was full of joy, he loved his wife Priya, his daughter Charlotte was the apple of his eye.
Updated at 17.10 EST
Helen Haines backs government’s gun reforms
Independent MP Helen Haines says she’ll be supporting the government’s gun reforms this morning.
The gun legislation – which will tighten import controls, create a national buyback scheme and increase and strengthen background checks – will pass through the house and Senate with the Greens’ support.
Haines – a regional MP – says while there are legitimate reasons to own firearms, particularly in rural and regional Australia, the laws “strengthen safeguards and help prevent guns from falling into the wrong hands”.
These reforms are not about targeting farmers, sporting shooters or licensed gun owners. They are about making sure people who pose a real risk – including violent extremists and individuals on an Asio watchlist – cannot legally access firearms.
Law-abiding gun owners were as horrified by those events as anyone else – and they can be part of the solution … This bill does not ban firearms. And it does not blame licensed gun owners for acts of violence.
Independent member for Indi, Helen Haines. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAPShare
Updated at 17.00 EST
Students for Palestine hit back at Sussan Ley: ‘We are on the right side of history’
The Students for Palestine group has hit back after Sussan Ley yesterday asserted that university encampments for Gaza contributed to antisemitism that “fuelled” the Bondi terror attack.
Ley, during her address on the condolence motion, said antisemitism came out of the shadows after 7 October 2023, and “it walked our streets, it marched over our bridges, it took over our landmarks, it camped in university quadrangles”.
Students for Palestine has responded to the speech, saying that the Gaza solidarity encampments were “built on the principles of antiracism and solidarity”.
Co-convener Bella Beiraghi said:
Our Gaza solidarity encampments were built on the principles of antiracism and solidarity, demanding an end to the genocide and an end to our universities ties to weapons companies. We are on the right side of history.
Jasmine Duff, another co-convener, told protesters to not be intimidated: “It is always right to march against genocide, against bombing, against starvation.”
Updated at 16.52 EST
Minns says ‘no silver bullet’ for shark attacks after third incident in two days
Penry Buckley
The NSW premier, Chris Minns, says he has no “silver bullet” to prevent shark attacks but public warnings after stormy weather may need to be increased following the third attack at Sydney beaches in two days.
Speaking on 2GB this morning, Minns was asked if he had any short-term plans to increase safety following the news a man was left in a critical condition after being bitten by a shark off Manly beach yesterday.
Minns says: “I don’t have a silver bullet here. It’s a really, it’s a difficult one.”
I think that probably our warning system and communication needs to be beefed up, particularly during stormy weather. What happens is bull sharks can identify food via silhouette. They do it by sight. In murky conditions, they might attack a human, whereas under normal circumstances, they wouldn’t.
Signage at the beach in Manly on Monday after a shark mauled a surfer in Sydney’s third shark attack in two days. Photograph: Steven Markham/AFP/Getty Images
Minns says he is happy to look at measures introduced by Queensland in its shark control program, but does not support a cull. He says controversial shark nets will remain:
What I would say is that we’re not going to be removing the nets, and that if you look at as tragic as these attacks have been on Sydneysiders, it’s best of my understanding, none have been within the netted areas of major Sydney beaches. And I think that that’s proof positive that those systems have worked.
Updated at 16.53 EST
Shadow home affairs minister expects a ‘very good outcome’ on hate laws
The shadow home affairs minister, Jonno Duniam, says he believes there will be a “very good outcome” on the hate laws, which will be introduced to parliament this morning.
Speaking to Sky News, Duniam says it’s been a “slog” getting to this point with the government, and that leader Sussan Ley will have more to say on any final agreement.
Changes negotiated by the Liberals include that laws would be subject to review after two years by parliament’s intelligence and security committee and the opposition would be consulted on any decision to “unlist”, as well as list, a hate organisation.
Duniam said:
We’ve come a long way from where we were a week ago when the laws were thumped on the table and the government said take it or leave it … So they’ve dropped some pretty bad parts, and we are working through what’s left of the bill to make sure it actually does work, it does deal with groups like Hizb ut-Tahrir.
Updated at 16.39 EST
Where are we at this morning?
There are a lot of moving parts, and time is ticking because the house begins sitting at 9am, with the bills to be introduced very soon after.
So we know that the Liberals met last night and agreed to a deal with the government on the hate speech laws – but we’re still waiting for Sussan Ley to stand up this morning to make it official.
The government have been positive this morning, and said conversations have been constructive but that the deal isn’t done “until it’s done”.
The Nationals will be meeting this morning to decide on whether they will support the hate speech bill or vote against. They’ve announced they will vote against Labor’s gun reforms which they say will “punish law-abiding Australian firearms owners” but will move amendments. This isn’t much of a surprise – it was anticipated that the Nats would vote against the gun reforms.
Updated at 16.33 EST
Penry Buckley
Free bus service to Western Sydney airport amid metro delays
Leaving parliament for a moment, passengers at Western Sydney airport will be offered a shuttle bus connection to the city’s rail network when the terminal opens this year, amid delays to a high-speed metro line originally intended to open alongside it.
The NSW government has announced the free bus service, connecting the new airport at Luddenham and the heavy rail network at St Marys station, will run every 30 minutes from 4.30am to midnight on Sunday and 1am on Friday and Saturday, with an expected journey time of 30 minutes in normal traffic.
The NSW transport minister, John Graham, says this in addition to local public bus services which will remain after the metro line, expected to deliver a 15-minute connection to St Mary’s, opens:
While the free, interim buses will phase out when the metro opens, the new bus services between the airport and Penrith, Oran Park, Campbelltown, Liverpool, Mount Druitt and Leppington will be a permanent upgrade for public transport.
The NSW opposition has accused the government of mishandling the airport metro project, which the Sydney Morning Herald has reported will open as late as December 2027. Transport spokesperson Natalie Ward says:
This government was supposed to deliver a metro line and is instead delivering a minibus.
Updated at 16.17 EST
Julian Leeser says he wants government to do more to tackle antisemitism in the arts and universities
The shadow education minister and Jewish MP, Julian Leeser, says Liberal leader Sussan Ley will stand up this morning and announce the Coalition’s position on the hate speech bill, but says the opposition has been working constructively on the bill.
Following Rowland on Radio National Breakfast, Leeser says he won’t provide any details on what the Liberal party decided on during its meeting last night, but that he wants authorities to have the power to deal with antisemitism and hate.
We want to see those organisations that are engaged in those things disrupted. We want to see extremist organisations busted up. We want to see people brought to justice. That’s what we want to see. We want to see powers given to authorities to deal with those issues.
Leeser says he wants the government to do more to tackle antisemitism in the arts and universities.
Julian Leeser speaks on the condolence motion in parliament on Monday. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAPShare
Updated at 16.05 EST
Michelle Rowland defends lowering threshold for listing of hate groups
Earlier this morning, Nationals senator Matt Canavan said he had concerns over how broad the listing of hate groups is, and questioned whether “a group that’s calling for the boycott of Israeli products can be classified as a hate group?”
Michelle Rowland says she disagrees with Canavan’s argument, and says that the hate group listing isn’t “novel”, it branches off the existing terror group listing.
She also points out that the legislation allows for groups on the list to be constantly reviewed, and can be removed from the listing.
We know that some of these hate groups have skirted deliberately just below the threshold. For those existing provisions to be enlivened, we need to lower that threshold. And also, I will point out that the drafting of these provisions was also done in close consultation with Jewish representatives. And we heard in the condolence motions yesterday about the kind of harm that is inflicted by antisemitism on Jewish Australians. They include a variety of factors so I disagree with senator Canavan’s assertions.
Updated at 16.39 EST