BOTH federal political leaders committed to ensuring Australia’s gun laws were as tough as they could be as the nation remembered the 1996 Port Arthur massacre.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Speaking at the 20-year commemoration of the mass shooting that killed 35 people, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull credited the courage then-Prime Minister John Howard displayed by overhauling the country’s gun laws.
“[Mr Howard] demonstrated a leadership and resolve that set a benchmark for the whole world,” Mr Turnbull said.
“John Howard acted decisively, and with the support of his deputy Tim Fischer and all their parliamentary colleagues, state and territory leaders, out of the tragedy here at Port Arthur was written a new chapter in our national story.
It showed our Federation and its leaders at their best, acting in solidarity to make Australia a safer nation.”
Speaking to the media on Thursday, Mr Turnbull said he would ensure Australia retained strong gun laws.
“We are committed to ensuring our national firearms agreement becomes stronger and that Australians remain, so far as we can ensure, safe from gun crimes like the shocking events at Port Arthur,” he said.
Mr Turnbull said a move to significantly increase penalties for illegal firearm importation was in direct response to most guns used in criminal activities having been illegally obtained and imported.
The gun laws implemented by Mr Howard included a ban on automatic semi automatic weapons, strengthened licencing and safety protocols, introduced mandatory registration and implemented a national buy-back scheme that netted 600,000 illegal weapons.
Opposition Leader Bill Shorten said the reforms were perhaps the signature achievement of Mr Howard’s time in government.
He said Labor would work constructively with the government to resolve debates over controversial pump action shotguns.
“On matters when it comes to the safety of Australians there is complete bipartisanship and I think that’s what Australians deserve to hear,” Mr Shorten said.
The gun reforms were strongly supported by survivors and those who lost loved ones in the Port Arthur massacre, with some having launched spirited defences of any perceived weakening in the laws.
Premier Will Hodgman said the reform was one positive outcome to come from “the worst of times”.
“We remain committed, in conjunction with the federal government, to ensure we do whatever we can do to make our communities as safe as they can be, and that includes through some of the world’s toughest gun control laws,” he said.
