SYDNEY: (Bernama-dpa) Australia on Sunday (Aug 16) revealed details of a buyback scheme for firearms made illegal following a deadly mass shooting at Sydney's Bondi Beach in December, German Press Agency (dpa) reported.
The shooting saw two gunmen, a father and son, open fire on crowds celebrating the Jewish festival of Hanukkah at Bondi Beach, killing 15 people and wounding dozens.
New South Wales (NSW) will be the first state in the country to begin the buyback scheme, state Premier Chris Minns said.
"After the horrific anti-Semitic terrorist attack at Bondi Beach, we made a commitment to the people of NSW that we would strengthen our gun laws and do everything we could to make our community safer," Minns said.
From November 2, gun owners in NSW will be offered up to A$1,000 (US$708) to hand over weapons affected by new ownership limits and classification changes.
A second phase of the scheme, in early 2027, will see compensation for eligible higher-value firearms.
"This will be the largest programme to get dangerous guns off our streets in almost 30 years," Minns said.
"There is no single law that can eliminate every risk. But fewer dangerous guns in our community means a safer NSW."
Minns estimated up to 274,000 firearms would be removed from circulation through the buyback scheme.
Following the Bondi attack, the NSW government passed new gun laws that capped and restricted the number and type of firearms a person can own, strengthened checks on people looking to own firearms and reduced the licence period from five to two years.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese pledged a national buyback scheme days after the attack. However, these plans have been delayed over funding and implementation uncertainties. - Bernama-dpa
