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More than a quarter of a million guns will be surrendered and destroyed under the largest gun buyback in NSW for three decades, with the first weapons to be handed over to police before the first anniversary of the Bondi Beach terror attack.
But in a departure from the terms offered by John Howard’s globally recognised post-Port Arthur scheme, tens of thousands of owners will not be offered market value compensation for their handguns, shotguns and rifles, setting the scene for a renewed backlash from the shooting industry and a resurgent One Nation.
The program will be announced by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and NSW Premier Chris Minns on Sunday following months of negotiations over its cost and design.
“This is a big undertaking but the principle behind it is simple: fewer dangerous guns in our community means a safer NSW,” Minns said.
“After Bondi we promised we would introduce the toughest gun laws in the country, and that’s exactly what we did.”
However, plans for a national scheme have collapsed, with all states other than NSW refusing to sign up.
Some 50,000 licence holders in NSW will have to surrender firearms under the changes, which are due to begin on November 2. The new laws limit most owners to a maximum of four guns, while primary producers and sport shooters will be restricted to 10.
About 274,000 firearms – roughly a quarter of the total number of registered guns in the state – will have to be handed back to comply with the limits.
The Herald last year revealed an explosion in the number of licensed weapons in Sydney suburbs: one individual licence holder living in Cremorne has 371 guns; another in the Chifley-La Perouse area has 294; a licensee in Punchbowl has 228 guns; another in the Terrey Hills area has 207; a Narrabeen resident, 191; and a person living in Burwood, 196. None were dealers or collectors.
Under flat-rate caps instead of individual valuations, handgun owners will be given $1000 per revolver or $850 for semi-automatics. Double-barrel shotgun compensation will be capped at $850 per weapon and $650 for single-barrels. Surrendered rifles will attract a payment of between $450 and $1000.
The compensation costs will be split equally between state and federal taxpayers. Neither government will say how much the bill is estimated to reach.
“We must do everything we can to make sure the antisemitic terrorist attack in Bondi doesn’t happen again,” Albanese said on Saturday. “That includes meaningful nationwide gun reform.”
The Commonwealth will also pay half of all administration costs and fully fund the destruction of surrendered firearms and ammunition.
A second phase of the scheme due to begin early next year will allow owners of higher-value firearms to pursue more compensation of between $3000 and a cap of $10,000. This would likely capture antiques and other rare weapons.
Governments will also pay gun shop owners and dealers grants of up to $25,000 to soften the impact of the changes on trade.
Assuming the average price of the buyback ends up at $1500 per weapon, the scheme would cost about $411 million. Administration will cost tens of millions more. The government will also pay a flat fee for ammunition but won’t offer any money for parts or add-ons.
Albanese and Minns promised the buyback following the Bondi antisemitic terror attack of December 14, and the scheme was a key recommendation of Virginia Bell’s interim report from the royal commission into antisemitism.
The gun lobby argues the buyback will be a waste of money, given other states are not participating and that it targets lawful gun owners rather than the surge in unlicensed weapons on Sydney’s streets.
Stolen or missing registered firearms account for nearly 10 per cent of illicit long-arms and about 31 per cent of illicit handguns in Australia. Authorities estimate there could be up to 500,000 illegal long-arms and handguns nationwide.
NSW Police will co-ordinate the buyback but details of how guns are surrendered and where and how payments will be deposited are still being worked out.
“The NSW Police Force are overseeing a significant logistics exercise in public safety,” said NSW Police Minister Yasmin Catley.
“We ask affected firearms licence holders to be patient. Everyone affected by the new laws in NSW will have the opportunity to participate.”
There are now 4 million firearms in Australia – more than at the time of the Port Arthur massacre.
Howard’s program removed 644,000 newly prohibited semi-automatic and pump-action firearms from circulation.
The Department of Home Affairs, the domestic spy agency ASIO and the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission have endorsed a fresh buyback, arguing it would help manage individuals with violent extremist ideologies, and frustrate serious and organised crime from obtaining lawful access.
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Bevan Shields is a senior writer, and former editor of The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect via email.From our partners
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