NSW passes controversial new gun and protest laws in wake of Bondi attacks after marathon debate | Bondi beach terror attack

The New South Wales Minn. Labor government has made controversial changes to gun laws and given police new powers to ban street protests for up to three months after a lengthy debate in the upper house.

The draft law, prepared in response to the massacre that resulted in two gunmen opening fire and killing 15 people at a Hanukkah event on Sydney’s Bondi beach on December 14, was voted on at 2.51am on Wednesday.

The omnibus bill was accepted with 18 votes in favor and 8 against. The Liberals joined members of the Labor government in voting for the bill, while the Nationals and Shooters voted against it. Greens members abstained.

The new laws mean that after a terrorism verdict is made, the state police commissioner will now have the power to ban protests from the streets of NSW for 14 days and up to three months.

Gun laws were also tightened; Gun owners will now generally be limited to owning four guns, while farmers and professional shooters will be limited to owning 10 guns. Gun owners must also be Australian citizens.

Firearms that allow multiple shots without reloading, such as those used by alleged shooters, would also be banned, and gun licenses would have to be renewed every two years to allow for increased scrutiny by police.

Appeals against police refusals to issue a license will also be shortened.

The bill, which includes numerous legislative changes, was criticized by both progressives and conservatives.

But because it was an omnibus bill and the government and Liberals resisted splitting it into two bills, parliamentarians ultimately had to vote it up or down.

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The NSW Liberals backed the government, but Liberal member Susan Carter failed in her attempt to amend the bill to make the protest ban also apply to rallies on beaches and parks.

The government’s ban only applies to street marches, which require a form 1 permit that protects protesters from prosecution for offenses such as obstructing traffic and is required for demonstrations using public streets.

The Greens, who strongly opposed the protest ban, have splintered because they have long advocated strengthening gun control.

Greens MLC Sue Higginson said: “I thought it was sensible for parliament to be recalled to take this action.” “Immediately after the attack, I supported moves to take a strong, evidence-based stance against extreme gun violence fueled by hate by drawing a line in the sand and passing world-leading gun law reform.

“But partisanship and division have clouded the leadership capacity of these individuals, and the anti-protest provisions of this bill are a departure from the fundamental principles of peace, non-violence and good governance,” he said.

“Peaceful assembly is a fundamental civil freedom, and now is not the time to curtail our civil liberties. If the government is determined to do this, then it should at least make these powers temporary.”

On Tuesday, a coalition of groups that regularly stage protests said they were preparing a constitutional challenge that would be submitted once the bill becomes law.

In response, Prime Minister Chris Minns said his government was “running through our legislation through the crown attorney. We face the threat from the high court and the reversal of these changes… We are all confident that they are constitutionally sound.”

The NSW Shooters, Fishers and Farmers party and NSW Citizens oppose stricter gun controls and have tried to delay the bill’s passage through the upper house by introducing dozens of amendments.

Mark Banasiak, Upper House Shooters MLC, said he spoke on behalf of “the 260,000 law-abiding firearms owners in this state” and pointed out the government’s failings.

“Licensed firearm owners were not radicalized” [alleged] “They are criminals,” he said.

“We were not the ones to ignore the advice of our own security agencies, and this risk was known, the warnings were clear, and yet the state and federal governments did nothing until the moment came when the public demanded answers,” he said.

“They chose to point to the 260,000 law-abiding firearm owners, the Australians who do the right thing every day, the farmers, the shooters, the hunters, the collectors, the regional Australians, the law-abiding people, the people who submit to background checks, inspections, licensing requirements, ongoing reviews, people who are already the most regulated citizens in this state.

“The blame for this atrocity does not belong to them.”

The Nationals’ Sarah Mitchell raised concerns about the impact on farmers and said they had not been properly consulted.

He said ten guns might be enough for some farmers, but that limit might not apply to everyone.

The debate also revealed once again deep divisions within Labor over the direction to be taken in the wake of Minns’ Bondi massacre.

Upper house member Stephen Lawrence, who is also a lawyer specializing in public law, told parliament he believed the laws would limit the freedom of political communication implied in Australia’s constitution.

He said the provision allowing a “public assembly restriction declaration” or “Pard” to be made if there is a public safety concern would be met with “any major protest at any time.”

He added that the changes, which give police the power to act if a person obstructs another person or obstructs traffic under Pard, would also capture crowd behavior at most protests.

“In summary, our freedom to engage in political communication through protest will be limited by this bill,” he says.

Labor MLC Anthony d’Adam, who fights for civil liberties and recognition of the Palestinian genocide, said he would support the bill but expressed serious reservations about restrictions on protest.