Australia passes stricter gun and hate crime lawsAFP, SYDNEYAustralian politicians yesterday voted in favor of tougher hate crime and gun laws, weeks after gunmen targeting Jewish people on Bondi Beach killed 15 people. Lawmakers in the House of Representatives backed the legislation in response to the Dec. 14 shooting at the famous Sydney beach. “We’re taking action on both — tackling anti-Semitism, tackling hate, and getting dangerous guns off our streets.”Legislative reforms on guns and hate speech were voted on separately. The hate speech legislation would toughen laws and penalties for people seeking to spread hate and radicalization, or to promote violence. On firearms, Australia would set up a national gun buyback scheme, tighten rules on imports of firearms and expand background checks for gun permits to allow input from the intelligence services.

Source: Taipei Times January 20, 2026 16:39 UTC