The Australian Medical Association welcomes the passage this week of reforms to firearm and hate crime laws.
The AMA stands firmly against racism, antisemitism, hate speech, and all forms of violent extremism, and supports measures that enhance community safety and social cohesion.
“These reforms passed by federal parliament this week are important steps towards protecting all communities from hate-fuelled harm,” AMA President Dr Danielle McMullen said.
Dr McMullen commended the federal government for acting to further tighten Australia’s gun laws following last month’s Bondi terror attack.
The AMA has long supported strong, nationally consistent firearm regulation, having advocated for the introduction of the National Firearms Agreement following the Port Arthur massacre 30 years ago.
“Australia has some of the toughest gun controls in the country, but the horror of last month’s attack shows we can never stop striving to improve,” Dr McMullen said.
“Reforms to improve background checks for gun licence holders and strengthen proactive information‑sharing between security agencies are common-sense measures that are essential to reducing the risk of firearm-related harm.”
Dr McMullen said the next vital step was the long‑overdue digitisation of the Australian Firearms Registry.
“In some jurisdictions, registries are still operating on pen and paper, which creates significant inefficiencies,” Dr McMullen said.
“A modernised, interoperable national registry is essential to support Australia’s firearm licensing framework, and the AMA will continue to strongly advocate for its urgent implementation.”
