2025-12-17
The Victorian Greens have welcomed the National Cabinet’s commitment to stronger gun laws and stand ready to return to Parliament and urgently to pass reforms to reduce the number of firearms in Victoria and keep our communities safe.
The mass shooting at Bondi Beach has deeply shaken Australia, and shaken Jewish communities around the world. This dark moment that has left shockwaves all across the nation. The Greens say what must come now is care, unity and decisive action to keep multifaith communities safe, protect multiculturalism, and prevent hatred from turning into mass violence.
Victoria has around 960,000 registered firearms, no cap on how many guns a person can own, and weaker safeguards than other states that have moved to limit gun numbers. Nationally, there are now more privately owned guns than there were before the 1996 Port Arthur buy-back. The Australia Institute has shown that inconsistencies between state gun laws weaken safety nationwide and a national approach only works if every state pulls its weight, which is why Victoria can’t be an outlier and must close the loopholes.
Gun law reform is a necessary part of keeping communities safe, alongside sustained, evidence-based and community-led action to prevent mass violence before it occurs. A 2022 Greens-initiated inquiry into extremism set out a clear expert-backed roadmap for tackling hate at its roots by backing community-led solutions, stopping online radicalisation, disrupting extremist networks, and reviewing gun laws to ensure every measure is considered to keep the community safe from extremism.
The Victorian Greens are calling for strict limits on firearm numbers, bans on rapid-fire and high-powered weapons, time-limited licences with repeated character and family violence checks, mandatory reporting of lost or stolen guns, and a buy-back to remove excess and high-risk firearms. The Greens say these reforms must go hand in hand with fully implementing and investing in the recommendations from the inquiry into extremism which provide an expert-backed roadmap for tackling the root causes of hate and radicalisation, particularly amongst young men.
Quotes attributable to the Leader of the Victorian Greens, Ellen Sandell:
“People are heartbroken. Jewish families were coming together to mark Channukah when this horrific antisemitic attack happened, and the fear and grief being felt by the Jewish community - here in Victoria and around the world - is unimaginable.”
“We have seen a creeping increase in guns in Victoria, and across the country. There are now nearly one million guns in Victoria alone. When Port Arthur happened, governments came together and took decisive action. We stand ready to return to Parliament to work with the government to bring that same unity and resolve now.”
“Hate-fuelled violence doesn’t come out of nowhere, and that’s why the Greens established Victoria’s first parliamentary inquiry into extremism, which warned of the risks and set out a clear, expert- and community-backed roadmap to prevent harm before it happens.”
“That roadmap made clear that Victoria should review gun laws, alongside critical investment in community-led and multifaith solutions, stopping online radicalisation, and disrupting extremist networks. These are the evidence-based actions we know work, and they must now be implemented together.”
Quotes attributable to the Victorian Greens spokesperson for Anti-Racism and Multiculturalism, Anasina Gray-Barberio:
“Now is a time for us to come together with care, compassion and unity. As a woman of faith, I know that our faith is something we lean on in times of joy and in times of grief. At its core, faith teaches respect, dignity and care for others, regardless of background or belief. That spirit of solidarity, love and mutual respect is what our communities need right now, standing together, rejecting hate, and looking after one another.”