In the wake of the Bondi Beach mass shooting during a Hanukkah celebration, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced a national gun buyback program and proposed new hate speech laws.
Although the legislation has not yet been drafted, it is already causing controversy amid fears that the laws could be enforced if political weapons emerge. Critics have also said that neither gun buybacks nor hate speech laws address the root cause of what led to the terror attack.
Albanese told reporters Friday that the government is working to “get the laws right” and acknowledged the complexities surrounding the issue. He said: “There are also freedom of speech issues involved here – we want to make sure these laws are not passed and then overturned.”
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Prime Minister Anthony Albanese visits NSW Police headquarters following the deadly shooting at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia, December 16, 2025. (Hollie Adams/Reuters)
The proposed changes include federal crimes for “aggravated hate speech” against preachers who promote violence and “serious defamation” on the basis of race, the Australian broadcaster reported. The newspaper noted that just 10 months ago, the government strengthened federal laws against hate speech with the aim of curbing anti-Semitism and Islamophobia.
At the same time, New South Wales (NSW), where the terror attack took place, is considering banning the chanting of the phrase “globalize the intifada,” which many view as an anti-Semitic call for violence against Jews. The ban would also apply to public displays of ISIS flags and extremist symbols.
In addition, NSW Premier Chris Minns said police would be given more powers under the ban to require protesters to remove face coverings during demonstrations, according to The Associated Press.
People take part in a floral tribute outside Bondi Pavilion on Bondi Beach in Sydney, Thursday, December 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Steve Markham)
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Furthermore, Kirkham argues that Albanese’s proposal could actually increase anti-Semitism instead of ending it.
“What they’re really saying is, ‘We need more censorship laws. Why? Well, apparently to protect the Jewish people.’ So what they’re saying to these communities is, ‘We’re censoring you to protect the Jews.’ I mean, how’s that going to end? Is that going to improve the issue of anti-Semitism, or is it going to make it worse?”
While the Australian government has focused its response on hate speech and gun laws, critics such as Kirkham say the attack on Bondi Beach has exposed intelligence failures.
Albanese said on Friday that intelligence suggests the attack on Bondi Beach was in fact inspired by ISIS.
“We have learned that the Office of National Intelligence has identified a regular online video feed from ISIS that reinforces that this was an ISIS-inspired attack. Further work has been done by the security services around motivation, and we will continue to meet with them and provide them with any support they need during this difficult time,” Albanese said. told reporters.
Bystanders were seen confronting one of the gunmen behind the deadly attack on a Hanukkah party on Australia’s Bondi Beach. (Jenny/Reuters)
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“The problem here is that there is a radical Islamist ideology that covers a spectrum from political Islam, the Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas and Palestinian terrorist groups, to Al Qaeda and the Islamic State, and we in the West refuse that and have done so from the beginning since September 11,” Roggio said. “We don’t want to admit that there is an actual problem within Islam, not with Islam, but within Islam.”
As authorities investigate the shooting, the father and son’s trip to the Philippines just before the Bondi Beach shooting has become a focal point.
The GV Hotel in Davao City said the men booked their stay through a third party and were initially scheduled to arrive on November 15, but arrived on November 1 instead. according to Reuters. An employee told Reuters that the two had booked the room for seven days, but extended their stay three times and paid in cash. The hotel employee also said the men had little contact with staff and had no visitors.
Philippine National Police Brig. Gen. Leon Victor Rosete, Davao Region Police Director, said the Guardian that the older shooter was interested in firearms. He also spoke about the gunmen’s ‘jog walk’, which was captured on CCTV, adding that the two appeared to be doing ‘physical conditioning exercises’.
“The father has shown an interest in firearms. He went into a firearms store,” Rosete told the Guardian. He later said they had not visited any shooting ranges in Davao.
A split image shows an ISIS flag being held by masked men, left, and a police-secured crime scene on Bondi Beach in Australia after a shooting. (Tauseef Mustafa/David Gray/AFP via Getty Images)
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Davao City is located on the island of Mindanao, which has been under a ‘Level 3: Reconsider Travel’ advisory since May. However, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Davao City, among a few other locations, an exception to the advisory.
People attend a floral tribute outside the Bondi Pavilion after the Bondi Beach shooting in Sydney, Friday, December 19, 2025. (Steve Markham/AP Photo)
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“Three weeks plus is not enough to become a highly efficient two-man firefighting team, but they have clearly received enough training to make that possible,” Roggio said.
As authorities try to piece together how and why the attack on Bondi Beach happened, the debate over the government’s response continues, with critics warning that a Band-Aid solution will fail to tackle the root of the problem.
