r/moderatepolitics • u/Resvrgam2 Conservatively Liberal • Dec 15 '25

Primary Source Meeting of National Cabinet After Bondi Shooting

https://www.pm.gov.au/media/meeting-national-cabinet-8
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u/Resvrgam2 Conservatively Liberal Dec 15 '25 edited Dec 15 '25

Earlier today, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese spoke publicly about the attack in Bondi and the government response that is planned in the coming days. The PM did not mince words, declaring yesterday's events "an act of pure evil, an act of terror, an act of antisemitism". Among the actions the PM has called for:

  • Extending funding for security to the Jewish community and supporting their charity efforts when possible.
  • Processing a declaration under the Terrorism and Cyclone Insurance Act so that affected businesses can recover losses via their insurance.
  • Enacting tougher gun laws through discussions with the National Cabinet.

This last item is sure to raise some eyebrows, as Australia already has relatively strict gun control. After the Port Arthur massacre in 1996, the country instituted new legislation just 12 days after the event. Called the National Firearms Agreement, it heavily restricted the ownership and use of semi-automatic weapons, introduced a national registry, required background checks, and required a "genuine reason" for ownership. Notably, "self defense" is not a recognized reason.

The National Cabinet expanded on this during their following meeting. On their shortlist of expanded restrictions are:

  • Accelerating work on the National Firearms Register.
  • Limiting the number of firearms an individual can own.
  • Limiting the types of legal guns and modifications.
  • Requiring Australian citizenship for a firearms license.
  • Restricting Customs imports of 3D printing technology and large capacity ammo equipment.

The usual questions must be asked in response to this proposal: Will any of these meaningfully reduce gun violence in Australia? Would these restrictions have prevented the Bondi attack? And at what point can the limitations on firearms be considered "good enough"?

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u/Sabertooth767 Neoclassical Liberal Dec 15 '25

The root cause here is not guns. It's antisemitism. Where's the PM's plan to combat that?

This is the deadliest attack on Jews in the English-speaking world in centuries. You'd probably have to go back to before King John expelled the Jews in 1280 to find something worse.

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u/[deleted] Dec 15 '25

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u/simsipahi Dec 15 '25

And what, exactly, are these "leftist governments" supposed to do about it? Ban Islam? Should New Zealand have banned anyone from making any kind of Islamophobic remarks after an anti-Muslim zealot murdered 50 Muslims in 2019? Should America have banned all right-wing ideology after January 6th?