Australia's Parliament on Tuesday passed new anti-hate speech and gun control laws in the aftermath of last month's deadly attack at a Jewish festival in Sydney, where two gunmen killed 15 people in an assault authorities say was inspired by the Islamic State group.
Australia's Parliament passes anti-hate speech and gun laws
The gun control legislation tightens restrictions on firearm ownership and introduces a government-funded buyback scheme to compensate owners required to surrender their weapons.
The anti-hate speech law allows the government to ban extremist groups that do not fall under Australia's existing definition of a terrorist organisation. This includes groups such as the Islamist organisation Hizb ut-Tahrir, which is already banned in several other countries.
The government had initially planned a single bill, but separated the issues into two bills introduced to the House of Representatives on Tuesday.
Both bills initially passed the House, where the centre-left Labour Party government holds a majority of seats. The firearms bill was the first to be passed by the Senate, where no party holds a majority, with a 38-to-26 vote. The anti-hate speech bill followed with a 38-to-22 vote in the 76-seat upper chamber.
Bondi Beach shooters legally owned guns
The father, who was shot dead by police during the attack on Jewish worshippers during Hanukkah celebrations at Bondi Beach on December 14, legally owned the guns used. His son, who was wounded, has been charged with dozens of offenses, including 15 counts of murder and one of committing a terrorist act over the attack.
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke told Parliament that alleged gunmen Sajid Akram, 50, and his 24-year-old son Naveed Akram wouldn't have been allowed to possess guns under the proposed laws.
Burke said that the Indian-born father would have been barred from gun ownership under the proposed laws because he wasn't an Australian citizen. The Australian-born son would also been banned, because he had come under surveillance from the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, or ASIO, spy agency in 2019 over his association with suspected extremists.
"In responding to the antisemitic terror attack, we need to deal with the motivation, and we need to deal with the method," Burke told Parliament. "We are dealing with two people there who had horrific antisemitic bigotry in their minds and in their hearts. And they had weapons they should not have had."
PM Albanese welcomes passing of new laws
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese welcomed Parliament's passing of anti-hate speech and gun laws. "At Bondi, the terrorists had hate in their hearts, but they had guns in their hands," Albanese told reporters, referring to the father and son gunmen accused of attacking Jewish worshippers during Hanukkah celebrations at Bondi Beach on December 14.
"We said we wanted to deal with that with urgency and with unity and we acted to deliver both," Albanese added.
Albanese said he was would have preferred stronger laws against hate speech, but the Senate would not compromise. "If you can't get laws passed in the wake of a massacre, then it's difficult to see people changing their minds," Albanese said.
Also Read: Bondi Beach terror attack: Father-son duo responsible for Sydney carnage, say police
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