The peak body for public health in Australia, the Public Health Association, has welcomed the ACT Government's actions to quickly introduce the Firearms (Public Safety) Amendment Bill 2026 today during the first week of Legislative Assembly sittings for this year.
Once passed, this update of firearms laws in place since 1996 will restrict access to deadly weapons, including new elements such as 3D blueprints. These will lead to safer communities across the Australian Capital Territory and beyond.
As the ACT takes steps to prepare its systems for the National Firearms Register, the resulting tool will make it easier for law enforcement to track guns across the federation.
We offer our deepest condolences to the Jewish community, to all of the victims, their families, loved ones, and friends affected by the Bondi tragedy.
The Association is a founding member of the Australian Gun Safety Alliance. The alliance and is members repeat our call for all governments in the federation to respond quickly to reform our gun laws, not least because surveys continually show most Australians want firearms much harder to access.
We note with concern that other governments, namely QLD and the NT, appear reticent to take action to ensure the communities they serve are safer from preventable gun violence. We believe this is a grave mistake, and potentially a fatal one for some, and should be rectified quickly.
