Tasmania will introduce a “nation-leading” gun buyback scheme, offering 1.5 times market value for surrendered reclassified firearms as part of sweeping new laws targeting illegal weapons.
Premier Jeremy Rockliff announced the reforms today, including tougher penalties for stolen firearms and new citizenship requirements for gun licences.
The measures follow December’s deadly antisemitic terror attack at Bondi Beach, where one attacker held a firearms licence and owned six guns.
“These Tasmanian-specific reforms give police and the courts more powers to crackdown on criminals caught in possession of an illegal firearm,” Rockliff said.
The state will reclassify straight-pull and button-release firearms to more restrictive Category C licences.
Current owners can surrender these weapons through the enhanced buyback or upgrade their licences.
The new laws however stop short of capping the number of firearms an individual can own.
Police Minister Felix Ellis said the government had responded to community concerns after the Bondi attack.
“Following the horrific events at Bondi, we immediately committed to increased intelligence sharing and citizenship being a requirement for licence holders,” Ellis said.
“We will also strengthen laws to crackdown on criminals in possession of illegal firearms and the black-market trade.”
The reforms establish Australian citizenship as the default requirement for gun licences, with exemptions for primary producers and citizens from prescribed countries including New Zealand.
A voluntary buyback at market value will also operate for any legal firearm owners want to surrender.
The federal government announced their national buyback scheme in December, with costs split 50-50 between Canberra and the states.
Australia now has more than 4 million firearms – exceeding numbers at the time of Port Arthur.
Tasmania’s legislation will go to parliament this year.
