New South Wales launches gun buyback scheme after Bondi Beach attack

New South Wales will launch a gun buyback scheme later this year, becoming the first Australian state to offer cash compensation for firearms in the wake of the Bondi Beach terror attack. Gun owners will be offered up to AUS$1,000 (£523) to hand over eligible handguns, shotguns and rifles beginning November 2.

The buyback follows the December 2025 shooting at a Jewish festival on Sydney's Bondi Beach, in which 15 people were killed. Police declared the attack a terrorist incident and alleged it was committed by a father-son duo, Sajid Akram, 50, and his son Naveed Akram, 24. Naveed has been charged with 59 offences, including 15 counts of murder. The two gunmen were believed to have been motivated by "Islamic State ideology."

Australian authorities pledged sweeping firearm law reforms after the attack. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese vowed to toughen national gun laws, noting that there was "no reason someone living in the suburbs of Sydney needed this many guns," referring to Sajid Akram's ownership of six high-powered rifles.

New South Wales Premier Chris Minns said on Saturday: "We want those guns handed in, compensated for and safely destroyed." He said the move could see hundreds of thousands of guns surrendered.

Gun ownership reforms already introduced by the state mean individuals can only own four firearms, although some people such as farmers and specialists are exempt from this limit.

The NSW buyback is the largest gun buyback scheme announced since the Port Arthur massacre in 1996, which left 35 people dead and prompted Australia to introduce world-leading gun control measures. The Australian Federal Police will help oversee the new scheme.

The Bondi Beach attack was Australia's deadliest mass shooting in decades. Fifteen people were killed and dozens injured when the two gunmen opened fire on the festival, which was organized to mark the first day of Hanukkah on Sunday, December 15, 2025.