TRANSCRIPT
Former Prime Minister John Howard says the current push to tighten Australia's gun laws must not become a "diversion" from the urgent need to combat antisemitism following the Bondi mass shooting.
Mr Howard disagrees with Australia's recognition of Palestinian statehood, accusing Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of failing to take sufficient action against antisemitism.
Without addressing Israel's conduct during the war in Gaza, he says he is ashamed about what he describes as a breakdown in Australia's relationship with Israel.
He famously tightened Australia's gun laws after the Port Arthur massacre in 1996, but says antisemitism is the more important issue today.
"The general observation I want to make about focus on guns, it's welcome always - provided it's designed to tighten existing laws, to illuminate loopholes - but I do not want this debate, post this horrible event, to be used, the focus on guns, to be used as a pretext to avoid the broader debate about the spread of hatred of Jewish people and antisemitism."
He is emphasising the need to tighten hate speech laws but also supports strengthening existing gun laws and eliminating loopholes.
The Shooters Union of Australia, a pro-gun lobby group, also says a review of the gun laws is a distraction.
Graham Park from the Shooters Union says this is a terrorism issue, not a gun issue.
"The media, the politicians in this country have said, we've got the strictest gun laws in the world. Aren't we wonderful? And yet, every time there's an incident, be it the Lindt cafe, be it this, be it something else, you say, oh, we need to tighten the gun laws. Guess what? It doesn't work. It's not going to work. You've got to address the problems of a community that's being divided by politicians playing identity politics and anti - antisemitism that is just a disgrace."
He says there are already strong gun laws, pointing to the Firearms Prohibition Order in New South Wales, which allows police to remove firearms from an individual with associations to criminal elements, politically violent groups, or extremist thought.
He says there is a similar legislative tool in almost every state.
However, Graham Park says he doesn't oppose restricting firearm ownership to Australian citizens only.
"We have no problem with that. We have no problem with the intelligence sharing that was proposed that makes perfect sense. We have no problem with with those sort of things. The idea of perpetual licenses is some fantasy, I think, in the Prime Minister's head."
Tim Quinn, President of Gun Control Australia, says under current laws, some community members own up to 300 firearms.
He is advocating for reforming firearm licensing to strictly link the number and category of guns an owner possesses to their demonstrated need.
According to Mr Quinn, casual shooters should not be permitted multiple, high-powered firearms.
He says it is not a question of either antisemitism or gun control.
He says antisemitism is a problem in Australia, and supports the tightening of security background checks.
"We certainly should be looking at the background checks. I know that there these people had been on the radar with ASIO and others. I know that's a difficult thing for them to resource to follow the whole time. However, the registry has a responsibility to the public to keep us safe. And I think that any red flag that comes through, and that includes when we have the National Firearms register that's coming in in the next few years, we should be having red flags that are pushing to jurisdictions so that police can understand that people are have a history, or possibly have a history."
