New South Wales launches gun buyback scheme following Bondi Beach Hanukkah attack

Aug 15, 2026

New South Wales will launch a major gun buyback program on November 2, 2026, in response to the December 2025 Bondi Beach Hanukkah terror attack that killed 15 people. Jointly funded by the state and federal governments, the multi-phase scheme offers up to 1,000 Australian dollars per weapon to enforce new ownership caps of four guns per person. While Prime Minister Anthony Albanese pushes for a nationwide rollout, the plan faces intense political opposition and rejection from several Australian states.

Bondi Beach Hanukkah terror attack

▪The Bondi Beach Hanukkah shooting was allegedly carried out by a father and son who were reportedly inspired by the Islamic State group.
▪The weapons used in the Bondi Beach Hanukkah attack were powerful firearms that had been legally purchased by the suspects.
▪A terrorist attack during a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach in Sydney, New South Wales, on December 14, 2025, resulted in the deaths of 15 people.
▪The surviving suspect in the Bondi Beach Hanukkah attack, 24-year-old Naveed Akram, faces 15 counts of murder and has not yet entered a plea.

NSW gun buyback scheme details

▪The New South Wales gun buyback program offers compensation ranging from 320 to 1,000 Australian dollars per weapon, capped at 10,000 Australian dollars for high-value firearms.
▪New South Wales will launch a weapons buyback program on November 2, 2026, offering compensation for handguns, shotguns, and rifles.
▪The New South Wales gun buyback will occur in two phases, with Phase 1 starting in November 2026 and Phase 2 for higher-value firearms starting in early 2027.
▪The New South Wales gun buyback scheme is estimated by Premier Chris Minns to cost hundreds of millions of dollars, funded on a 50-50 split with the federal government.
▪The New South Wales gun buyback scheme will provide support packages of up to 25,000 Australian dollars for affected gun businesses and dealers.

National gun law reforms

▪The New South Wales gun reforms reclassified certain weapons, including banning firearms that allow multiple shots without reloading.
▪The Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion recommended that Australian governments prioritize implementing an updated, nationally consistent firearms agreement and buyback scheme.
▪New South Wales passed laws restricting individual gun ownership to a maximum of four firearms, with exceptions allowing up to 10 for farmers and professional shooters.

Australian firearm ownership levels

▪The New South Wales government estimates that up to 274,000 registered firearms, representing about 24 percent of the state's total, will be affected by the new ownership limits.
▪Australia reached a record 4.1 million registered firearms in 2025, with more than 1.1 million of those located in New South Wales.

Interstate implementation debate

▪The Australian Capital Territory and Tasmania have agreed to the federal gun buyback deal, but funding negotiations remain ongoing.
▪The Nationals have tabled a bill in the federal Senate to repeal the Labor government's firearms crackdown and abolish the proposed national buyback.
▪Western Australia completed its own state-level gun buyback in January 2026, recovering 83,000 firearms, and has signaled willingness to join the national framework.
▪The broader national gun buyback plan has faced delays and implementation disagreements, with Queensland and Victoria rejecting the proposed joint buyback scheme.

Perspective of Australian Jewish Association

▪The weapons used in the Bondi Beach Hanukkah attack were powerful firearms that had been legally purchased by the suspects.
▪A terrorist attack during a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach in Sydney, New South Wales, on December 14, 2025, resulted in the deaths of 15 people.