Bondi shooting updates: ISIS video feed discovered, national day of reflection, gun buyback announced

NSW Premier Chris Minns says on Monday his Government will introduce the toughest gun laws in the country, with citizens limited to a new four-gun cap.

“The New South Wales Government will introduce the toughest gun law reforms in the country,” Mr Minns said.

“The Government will introduce a bill to impose a cap of four firearms per individual, with strict exemptions for primary producers and sporting shooters.

“We will reclassify straight, pull, pump-action, button, lever release firearms into category C - limiting their access primarily to farmers, agriculture, primary producers.

“We’ll reduce magazine capacities for category A and B firearms to a maximum of five to 10 rounds from a current unlimited capacity.

“We’ll introduce a complete ban on firearms that can use belt-fed magazines, and we will remove the New South Wales Civil and Administrative Tribunal review pathway once a designation has been made that the licence should be taken.”

NSW Premier Chirs Minns says his Government is moving to outlaw displays of ISIS flags in legislation that is set to be introduced on Monday.

“The New South Wales Government will also introduce legislation to ban ISIS flags in New South Wales to ensure that they’re not used as part of demented terrorist organisation propaganda,” he said.

NSW Attorney General Michael Daley added Islamic State (ISIS) “are murderous barbarians”

“There is no legitimate purpose for displaying an Islamic State or ISIS flag in New South Wales except to cause fear and intimidation and insult and those days are over.”

NSW Premier Chris Minns says new laws set to be tabled in State Parliament on Monday will give authorities powers to reject protest applications for three months after terror declarations.

“The Government will act to ensure that we restrict the authorisation of public assemblies during high-risk times like when there is a terrorist event in New South Wales,” Mr Minns said.

“When a terrorist incident is formally declared under the Terrorism Police Powers Act, the Police Commissioner or Deputy Commissioner of police, with the agreement of the Minister for Police, will be able to declare a specific area where public assemblies are restricted for a period of time. A public assembly restriction declaration.

Mr Minns said the terror declaration will need to be made within 14 days of an incident, and the protest restriction powers can be used for 14 days, but that restriction can be extended for up to three months.

Despite being arrested over fears of a violent act at Bondi Beach, seven men arrested in Liverpool will walk free soon, subject to evidence review, as NSW Police do not have sufficient information to continue detaining the men.

“According to law, we don’t believe that we have sufficient evidence to detain the men at this stage, NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon said.

“Once a person is not in custody, if they haven’t been charged, they’re not subject to bail conditions. They’re free to go.

“I have been clear. We will monitor these men whilst they’re in New South Wales. And we will work closely with Victorian and other Commonwealth law enforcement partners.”

NSW Police say they are investigating “radical Islamist extremism” in connection to seven men arrested in Liverpool on Thursday, however, subject to evidence review, the men will soon be released.

“All seven males are known to the Victorian Police and travelled from Victoria,” Commissioner Mal Lanyon said on Friday.

“Whilst this specific threat posed by the males is unknown, I can say that the potential of a violent offence being committed was such that we were not prepared to tolerate the risk and interdict accordingly.

“The information received was that Bondi may have been one of a number of locations that the males were intending to attend, but the reason for attending is unknown.”

Despite the arrests, the men look set to be released and be walking free amongst the community by Friday night.

“The justification for their ongoing detention no longer exists, subject to a review of evidence,” the Commissioner said.

“They will continue to be monitored whilst in New South Wales and we will work closely with our Victorian and Commonwealth law enforcement partners.”

AFP Commissioner Krissy Barrett has avoided sharing details about Thursday’s dramatic anti-terror arrests in Liverpool, but says the action seen shows authorities are acting on ongoing threats and intelligence.

“It is an active and ongoing matter, and people are still in custody. So I won’t speak specifically to that,” the Commissioner said.

“What I will say is it is an example of the hyper environment we are operating in and an example that members of the public can be confident police will take swift and decisive action.

“Yesterday afternoon was a clear example.”

Mr Anthony Albanese has slammed suggestions that Government agencies did not share key information that could have prevented the fatal Bondi terror attack.

“The information, as the agencies have said, indicates these two individuals were involved in considerable planning of this terrorist act,” Mr Albanese said on Friday.

“There is no indication of others’ involvement and that continues to be an ongoing series of investigations.”

Pushed further on if any agencies had information, the PM got heated.

“I’m not sure what it is you are implying. I’m making it clear that none of the agencies have said they had information that was not passed on to anybody, if that is what is being suggested.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says it is not practical to recall Parliament before Christmas, saying new laws that the Federal Government will bring in will have to wait until 2026.

“It’s not practical, and I suspect that the Opposition Leader knows that,” Mr Albanese said on Friday.

“We’re going to make sure that we get the laws right.

“I take it to some of the previous comments that have been here as well, have gone to - why didn’t we do more?

“We want to make sure that the laws are got right, and we want to make sure as well that there is broad support for it across the board. We will engage constructively.

“We will, when drafts are able to be achieved, for what is complex laws, because there are constitutional issues, there are issues of free speech involved in this as well. We’re going to make sure that these laws don’t get passed and then get knocked over.”

Anthony Albanese has shared more light on the regular ISIS video feed intelligence teams have discovered.

“One of the things that I spoke about before was about motivation,” Mr Albanese said, speaking about the Bondi terror attack.

“We know that, in this ISIS regular video that they put out, they are claiming that it was ISIS-inspired, and we know there’s evidence there that that’s the case.

“This has been around for a long period of time.

“What my government is focused on is any further measures that we need to do. We have continued to act - everything from setting up Operation Avalite, the work that was done, as well in finding out the connection between the IRGC and the attacks on the Adass synagogue in Melbourne, the Georgina Street, Newtown synagogue and, of course, the caravan incident in north-west Sydney.

“The agencies did substantial work to identify that.

“We then acted by being the first government since the Second World War to expel an ambassador from Australia, with the Iranian Ambassador. All I’m focused on is continuing to work.”

Anthony Albanese has announced the Government will co-fund a gun buyback scheme, the largest since the historic Howard Government buyback.

“The government will establish a national gun buyback scheme to purchase surplus, newly banned and illegal firearms - the largest buyback since the Howard government initiated one in 1996,” Mr Albanese said on Friday.

“Australia’s gun laws were substantially reformed after the Port Arthur tragedy. The terrible events at Bondi show we need to get more guns off our streets.

“We know that one of these terrorists held a firearm licence and had six guns, in spite of living in the middle of Sydney’s suburbs there at Bonnyrigg.

“There’s no reason why someone in that situation needed that many guns. There are now more than 4 million firearms in Australia - more than at the time of the Port Arthur massacre nearly 30 years ago.

“The government will introduce legislation to support the funding of this buyback scheme and meet the costs on a 50-50 basis with states and territories.”

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