Australian parliament approves stricter gun and hate crime legislation nationwide

Australian lawmakers have passed legislation in response to a mass shooting at a Jewish festival in Sydney’s Bondi Beach last month. The House of Representatives voted in favour of three separate bills: a national gun buyback scheme, tighter gun licence checks, and a crackdown on hate crimes.

The bills were introduced following the December 14 attack, which resulted in the deaths of 15 people, most of whom were Jewish. A Muslim man, Ahmed al-Ahmed, intervened to disarm the attackers. Authorities have identified the suspects as Sajid Akram and his son Naveed, who were reportedly inspired by the ISIL (ISIS) group.

The government has stated that it must take a comprehensive response to counter both the motivation and method behind the attack. The legislation includes new firearms rules that will enable background checks for gun permits with input from intelligence services.

Separate votes are expected in the Senate later today, where the gun control laws are likely to pass with support from the Greens, despite opposition from the Liberal-National Coalition. In contrast, the anti-hate laws are expected to pass with support from the Liberal Party. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese recalled parliament early for this special session.

The bills will now need to be approved by the Senate before becoming law.

Source: Al Jazeera