New South Wales Tightens Guns, Bans Extremist Symbols, Limits Protests

New South Wales lawmakers on December 24 passed the Terrorism and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2025 in an emergency session held after a deadly attack at Bondi Beach that left 15 people dead. The package, advanced by the state government as a necessary response to the violence, combines strict new firearms limits with expanded police powers to restrict public demonstrations and curbs on what the government calls hateful or extremist symbols.

The overnight sitting stretched into the early hours and concluded around 3 a.m. in the Upper House, where the bill passed 18 votes to 8. The Liberal Party aligned with the government, while the Nationals, the Shooters Party and some crossbenchers opposed it. The Greens abstained, saying they supported tougher gun laws but opposed the protest provisions. The bill returned to the Lower House later the same morning for final passage.

The government described the measures as "extraordinary" but maintained they were proportionate and necessary in the wake of the Bondi attack. Premier Chris Minns said the state had been fundamentally changed by the incident, declaring "Sydney and New South Wales have changed forever as a result of that terrorist activity."

On firearms, the legislation establishes what the government calls the toughest gun laws in Australia. It introduces a national style cap limiting individuals to no more than four firearms, while allowing licensed primary producers to hold up to ten. Certain action types, including straight pull and pump action, and firearms with button or lever release mechanisms will be restricted to primary producers. The bill also reduces magazine capacity for lower category firearms and bans firearms that use belt fed magazines.

A centrally important amendment, approved unanimously by both chambers, tightens access to firearms permits for people with suspected links to terrorism. That unanimous change was the only amendment to secure cross chamber agreement during two days of intense debate.

The protest and symbol provisions give police new powers to restrict or ban assemblies and to act against displays the government classifies as hateful or extremist. Civil society groups and some political actors warned that the provisions were broad and risked curtailing democratic freedoms. A Palestinian advocacy group accused the government of "exploiting the horrific Bondi attack to advance a political agenda that suppresses political dissent and criticism of Israel, and curtails democratic freedoms." The Greens called the protest restrictions "an assault on democratic rights."

Several community organisations representing Palestinian, Jewish and Indigenous Australians have signalled intentions to mount constitutional challenges to parts of the law, arguing the measures were rushed and legally vulnerable. Legal experts expect protracted litigation, and the legislation is likely to shape national debates about the balance between public safety and civil liberties.

The package’s passage marks a rapid legislative response to a traumatic attack, but it leaves unresolved questions about enforcement, legal limits on protest, and how rural exemptions for primary producers will be reconciled with the government’s stated aim of drastically tightening gun ownership across the state.