Premier, PM, stand by NSW gun reforms in the wake of Bondi Beach shooting

NSW Premier Chris Minns insists his state made the right call to introduce a gun buyback scheme, even if it is the only state to make such reforms.

The scheme, announced on Saturday by the NSW state government in collaboration with the federal government, could see up to 274,000 firearms handed back to authorities, with gun owners being compensated as much as $10,000 per firearm.

The cost, which Minns admitted was “in the hundreds of millions of dollars” price range, will be split evenly between the two governments.

NSW is the first state to act after the Bondi terror attack, where 15 people were shot and killed at a Jewish festival on December 14 last year, and Minns batted away concerns the reforms may not be effective if other states do not take the same approach.

“It would be better if every state was on board, but we’re responsible for NSW, and I’m not going to let perfection be the enemy of good, and I’m also not going to wait for every state to come on board,” he told reporters on Sunday.

“We feel this is necessary for our state today, and if it means we are the first mover, or even the only mover, then that’s what we need to do.”

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the buyback scheme was designed to help keep Australia safe, and said his government was open to working with other states and territories to achieve a similar result to New South Wales.

“They will make their own decisions under our federation system, they are responsible, but what I would say in the commonwealth, they have a willing partner,” he said, saying his government’s implementation of a national firearms register had reformed “farcical” licensing systems in some states that were still paper-based.

The reforms, set to begin on November 2, are the latest taken by the state after it significantly tightened gun laws after the Bondi attack.

This included new limits on the number of firearms a person can own, reclassifying some types of firearms, introducing stronger background and eligibility checks, and reducing firearms licence periods from five years to two.

The government estimates up to 274,000 registered firearms – or approximately 24 per cent of the total number of registered firearms in NSW – are affected by the new limits and reclassifications.

They also estimate the changes will impact about 50,000 licence holders, in addition to businesses and industry, which is why the scheme will be rolled out in two phases.

It will provide compensation to individuals for firearms above the new ownership limits and newly reclassified firearms, plus a flat fee for associated ammunition.

It will also include an initial industry support package to help eligible local businesses and dealers adjust to the new laws.

Phase two will commence early next year and will provide a pathway to compensation for eligible higher-value firearms with an indicative market value above $3000, capped at $10,000 per firearm. It will also involve providing further support for affected industry.

The Commonwealth will contribute 50 per cent for administration costs and fully fund the destruction costs for surrendered firearms and administration. 

‘Problem’ facing gun buyback scheme

Despite the scheme potentially removing hundreds of thousands of guns from New South Wales, its effectiveness will be limited by the fact the state is moving alone, according to 9News’ Chief Political Editor Charles Croucher.

“It’s a first step… the problem is, it’s not a national program; there’s no point doing these state-by-state if everyone doesn’t sign on,” he told Today.

“This chain is only as strong as its weakest link, and when it comes to these national buybacks, there are states and territories that are showing no sign of wanting to get on board.”

Croucher said the government’s move to work with a state government was designed to offer a framework to other states and territories, potentially cajoling them to make similar moves.

However, he remains sceptical of whether the rest of Australia will take on the offer, naming Queensland and the Northern Territory as key holdouts.

“This needs to be a national approach… if this is the whole journey, then it’s not going to do what the Premier and Prime Minister have just laid out,” Croucher said.