‘Legalised Theft’: MPs Challenge National Gun Buyback

An attempt to force an immediate debate on the federal government’s gun reforms has been shut down in the House of Representatives, despite fervent arguments put forward by two MPs.

Independent Calare MP Andrew Gee attempted to suspend standing orders on Sept. 9, seeking to clear the way for a motion describing the government’s gun buyback scheme as “legalised theft.”

During his argument, the New South Wales (NSW) MP said regional firearms businesses were suffering significant losses and that compensation being offered to gun owners was well below market value.

The government announced a national gun buyback as part of a package of sweeping reforms following the Bondi terror attack, in which 15 people were murdered while celebrating the Jewish festival of Hannukah in December 2025.

The buyback will provide compensation for eligible lawfully held firearms affected by new ownership limits or firearm classification changes introduced under participating state reforms.

NSW is the first state to participate in the federal scheme, which is scheduled to begin on Nov. 2.

‘A Knee-Jerk Political Exercise’: MP on Buyback Scheme

Gee acknowledged the horrific nature of the Bondi terror attack, but said the government had responded with a “knee-jerk political exercise.”

“We have a system where state and federal governments are forcing an estimated 50,000 law-abiding citizens in New South Wales to hand over hundreds of thousands of guns, and for what? To pay them cents on the dollar,” he said.

“The amounts on offer are well below market value, penalising honest, decent Australians who’ve done nothing wrong and who obey the law every single day of their lives. They are rightly outraged, and they have every reason to be.”

Under the first phase of the NSW scheme, fixed compensation ranges from $450 for an air rifle to $1,000 for a revolver or centrefire rifle.

A second phase will provide a separate compensation pathway for eligible higher-value firearms, capped at $10,000 per piece.

Gee said there were questions that remained unanswered around the Bondi terror attack, including how individuals with known links to extremism were able to access firearms despite being known to authorities.

“From the very beginning, the first impulse was not to call a full and transparent royal commission to examine the deep intelligence and security failures around this act of terror,” Gee said.

“The first impulse was to immediately push for tighter gun laws and use law-abiding gun owners as political scapegoats to cover up government failures.

“There are massive, serious questions that remain completely unanswered.”

While the Commonwealth regulates areas including firearm imports and provides the framework for the national gun buyback, states and territories retain primary responsibility for firearms licensing and possession. As a result, some of the post-Bondi reforms require state legislation to take effect.

Queensland, for example, has adopted some of the broader firearms reforms but declined to participate in the gun buyback, with Premier David Crisafulli arguing the focus should instead be on keeping firearms out of the hands of terrorists and criminals.

Gee called for stronger action and penalties against people who traffic, possess and use illegal firearms.

His motion was seconded by Member for Kennedy Bob Katter, who said guns could be made by those wanting to make them illegally.

“Do you do any homework at all?” he asked.

Katter spoke of his time as a soldier and said anyone who believed conflict could be avoided needed to “read your history books.”

“You have so trusted foreign countries that you have disarmed your country,” he told the parliament.

“And you’re so mistrustful of Australians that you’ve disarmed them.

“And if ever there is a truism, when you outlaw guns, only the outlaws will have guns.”

However, before the House voted on whether to suspend standing orders, the government moved to adjourn the debate.

That motion passed 88 votes to 47, ending the debate without the House deciding whether to suspend standing orders or considering Gee’s substantive motion.

Government Says It’s Protecting Community

In a statement about the NSW gun buyback last month, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the government was doing everything possible to ensure another terror attack like Bondi could happen again.

“That includes meaningful nationwide gun reform,” he said.

Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said the government was dealing with both the “motive and the method.”

“We continue the proud Australian tradition of sensible gun reform designed to protect our community from weapons which have no utility other than to cause harm,” he said.