Prospects for a newly proposed nationwide gun buyback program have dimmed following the passing of the deadline for government endorsements.
Australia’s arsenal of over four million licensed firearms was targeted by federal authorities after the devastating Bondi massacre. This tragic event spurred a commitment from the government to retrieve excess and illegal weapons from their current possessors.
However, the initiative’s support window for state and territory parliaments closed on Wednesday, notwithstanding the backing of a royal commission and certain regional administrations.
Queensland, South Australia, Victoria, and the Northern Territory have each expressed a reluctance to proceed with the initiative, primarily due to the financial responsibility of covering half the expenses for purchasing firearms from owners.
Meanwhile, Western Australia has already rolled out its individual program, with Tasmania planning to do the same. Currently, only New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory remain aligned with the national buyback proposal.
A federal government spokesperson did not say whether it would extend the deadline for states to legislate a buyback, but indicated the scheme would go ahead, citing the agreement of National Cabinet.
National MPs praise states’ stance
Breakaway gun law changes by certain states had wrecked hope for a nationwide agreement, Nationals MP Michael McCormack told reporters on Thursday.
“The states, they saw the folly in this, because they’re just not signing up”, he told reporters.
“How can you have a national buyback scheme when you’ve only got (some states) doing something about it?”
The 1 July deadline was the second to lapse after the federal government initially targeted early April for the changes.
The latest expiry was celebrated by Nationals leader Matt Canavan, who called the reforms a knee-jerk reaction.
“It’s been a shocking period in policy development to what was a tragic, terrible event in our nation’s history,” Senator Canavan told reporters.
“We should have got to the root cause … the real poison that caused Bondi was the spread of radical Islamic ideology.”
Amending the state-by-state patchwork of gun laws and working towards a nationwide buyback scheme were recommended by the Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion in April, which also examined extremist ideology.
Intelligence agencies agreed that the proposed gun reforms would help manage the risk of extremists accessing weapons, the report said.
Sajid Akram, who helped perpetrate the massacre that killed 15 people in December, legally acquired six guns with a basic firearms licence despite not being an Australian citizen.
The average Australian gun licence holder has more than four weapons.