Labor’s linking of gun buy-back legislation to hate law reforms in one piece of legislation is proving problematic for the Coalition. Photo: ACT Policing.
Proposed gun reforms are causing grief inside the Coalition, with the Nationals vehemently opposed to a further clamp down on firearms ownership.
The Federal Opposition is scrutinising the sweeping hate crimes and gun legislation to be debated in parliament when it is recalled next week.
It does not, however, want to be seen to be blocking measures designed to crack down on race-fuelled crimes in the wake of the Bondi shootings.
But with the bill being all-encompassing, combining both the hate and gun laws in one piece of legislation, the Liberals and Nationals are having another internal struggle.
Opposition Leader Sussan Ley has already blasted Anthony Albanese for combining the two components.
“We are deeply sceptical of the Prime Minister’s decision to introduce a single bill that will attempt to cover multiple complex and unrelated policy areas,” she said when the legislation was initially flagged this week.
“For example, issues of speech are clearly separate from the ownership and management of firearms.”
But her Liberals are still likely to pass the bill, albeit with some nays and rumblings from the backbench.
It’s the Nationals who are having more than a few major problems with the idea.
Nationals Leader David Littleproud has accused Mr Albanese of employing petty politics in planning to introduce one omnibus bill.
Mr Littleproud said the laws concerned complex policy areas that should have individual pieces of legislation.
“This is puerile, petty, puerile, university politics by the Prime Minister,” he told Sky News.
“He’s angry. He’s angry with Australians, that they forced him into a royal commission. So what he’s done is reverted to a type of university politics that’s just petty.
“The legislation around hate speech is complex, as is gun laws. And the reality is to try and put them into one bill disrespects the parliament and actually flies in the face of his words about bringing the parliament together in a cooperative way.”
Nationals Senate leader Bridget McKenzie has criticised the short amount of time being given to work through the bill before Federal Parliament votes.
And she said taking guns from law-abiding citizens was not the appropriate response to Bondi.
“Unfortunately, the Prime Minister has chosen to play politics with this bill,” she told Radio National.
“He’s lumped migration changes in with the management of firearms and obviously in with hate speech laws.
“So there’s a lot to unpack and not enough time before we debate it …
“State ministers met with the Federal Government last week and you know, I don’t think there’s unanimity amongst them about their response to the gun buy-back at all.”
While the Liberals and Nationals continue to publicly blame Labor for the omnibus nature of the bill, inside the Coalition the two opposition parties are at loggerheads over how to react to it when it comes time to vote.
Some, such as former Nationals leader Michael McCormack have even reportedly suggested the issue could split the Coalition again.
Meanwhile, the Federal Government maintains its insistence the bill be one piece of legislation and be dealt with quickly.
“Our government has called a Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion but we are not waiting for its findings to combat hatred or keep Australians safe,” the Prime Minister wrote in an op-ed article to mark the one-month anniversary of the Bondi shootings.
“Next Monday, we are recalling parliament to introduce new laws.
“The terrorists at Bondi Beach had antisemitic hatred in their minds and high powered guns in their hands – and our laws will deal with both.
“We will target hate speech and hate preachers to counter radicalisation and extremism.
“Because just as antisemitism and racism are an offence against our Australian values, we will make sure they are an offence under Australian law.
“The parliament will also continue the work our government is doing to bring our nation’s world-leading gun laws into the 21st century.
“We will work with the states and territories to establish a National Gun Buyback Scheme and close loopholes in Australia’s gun laws that undermine our community safety and our national security.
“Because there is no reason for a person living in the suburbs to own six guns. There is no way an extremist should be able to buy high-powered weapons over the counter.
“And if someone has not earned the privilege of Australian citizenship, then they should not have the right to own a gun.”
