SYDNEY — New South Wales will become the first Australian state to run a gun buyback scheme stemming from the Dec. 14 Bondi Beach terror attack, with the program set to open Nov. 2. The state government and the federal government will split the cost of buying back and administering the surrendered weapons, while Canberra will pay separately to have the guns destroyed.
The Dec. 14 attack on Sydney's Jewish community killed 15 people. Strengthening Australia's gun laws was the first formal commitment the federal government made in the attack's aftermath, and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese reaffirmed that position Saturday. "We must do everything we can to make sure the antisemitic terrorist attack in Bondi doesn't happen again," Albanese said. "That includes meaningful nationwide gun reform."
NSW Premier Chris Minns said the goal is straightforward. "We want those guns handed in, compensated for and safely destroyed," Minns said Saturday.
About 274,000 firearms—roughly a quarter of all registered guns in New South Wales—and an estimated 50,000 licence holders fall within the scope of the state's new restrictions. The buyback targets two categories of affected owners: those who now hold more firearms than the new legal limits allow, and those whose licences no longer cover certain weapon types following reclassification rules introduced in December.
In December, NSW set acquisition limits of four firearms for most licence holders and 10 for categories such as farmers and sports shooters. Certain faster-reloading firearms, including those with a straight-pull action, were reclassified to require a more restricted licence, though that particular change has not yet taken effect.
The compensation structure has two stages. From Nov. 2, owners will receive fixed prices from a published schedule: $450 for an air rifle and $1,000 for a centre-fire rifle or revolver. A flat fee will apply to associated ammunition surrendered at the same time. From early next year, owners of higher-value firearms with an indicated market price above $3,000 can apply for individual compensation assessments, capped at $10,000 per gun.
Dealers face their own adjustments under the reforms. The government will make grants of up to $25,000 available to licensed dealers and will offer $500 in licence fee relief to help them manage the transition.
The buyback is the largest gun collection effort in Australia in roughly three decades, measured from the 1996 Port Arthur massacre that prompted the Howard government's national firearms agreement. That earlier scheme removed about 650,000 firearms nationwide. NSW's current buyback is a state-level measure, and there is no indication the other major states will join.
Queensland and Victoria have both formally rejected the buyback. South Australia indicated in-principle support for a national scheme in January but has since said it has no plans to change its firearms laws. The Northern Territory said it will contribute no funds. Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory have committed to join, but the two jurisdictions are still in funding negotiations with Canberra. Western Australia's position was not finalised at the time of announcement.
The fragmented response means the reform falls well short of the nationwide overhaul Albanese called for. NSW, as Australia's most populous state with roughly 8.4 million residents, will account for the largest share of surrendered firearms if the program reaches its estimated scale, but the guns held in states that have declined to participate will remain in circulation under existing rules.
The federal government's financial role covers destruction costs for surrendered firearms. Every other expense—the compensation payments and the administrative machinery to run the buyback—will be funded on a 50-50 basis between NSW and Canberra. The governments have not publicly disclosed a total projected cost, but the scale of the program—potentially 274,000 firearms at compensation rates ranging from $450 to $10,000 each—makes it a substantial fiscal commitment for both levels of government.
Owners who surrender firearms will not face penalties for the excess, provided they do so within the buyback window. The government has not specified how long the window will remain open beyond the initial November start date for the fixed-price stage and the early-2027 opening of the higher-value assessment process.
