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Australia’s parliament to return to pass law on hate speech after Bondi Beach shooting

12 January 2026 11:10 (UTC +04:00)

Australia's national parliament will cut short its summer break to pass laws tackling hate speech after ‍the Bondi Beach mass shooting, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Monday, as concerns were also expressed over free speech, APA reports, citing AlArabiya.

The December 14 shooting in Sydney that killed 15 people at a Jewish Hanukkah celebration sparked nationwide calls to tackle antisemitism. Police say the alleged gunmen were inspired by ISIS.

The federal parliament will return next Monday, and Albanese said he wanted legislation to step up penalties for hate speech and ⁠authorize a gun buyback to pass the following day.

Australians were entitled to express different views about the Middle East, he told reporters in Canberra.

"What they are not entitled to do is to hold someone to account for the actions of others because they are a young boy wearing a school uniform going to a Jewish school or a young woman wearing a hijab," he said.

The proposed laws will also ease visa denials on the grounds of racial bigotry and lower the threshold for banning hate organizations, including neo-Nazi groups, officials said.