Most of you will now know the outcome of the federal firearms legislation passing through both houses of Parliament in Canberra this week (Combatting Antisemitism, Hate and Extremism (Firearms and Customs Laws) Bill 2026 – Parliament of Australia), and most, if not all of you will feel like you’ve been targeted for something that is not your fault. You are right.

We wanted to provide you with an update of how SSAA were representing your views this week, as decisions were being made about this legislation.

To be honest, this was a classic example of the plane being built as it tried to take off. ON Tuesday the 13^th of January, the Labor Government had a bill that combined hate speech, anti-semitism, hate, extremism and firearms. By the weekend the Bill had been split in two so they could horse trade with the Greens, and by the time Monday 19th rolled around, we had a new bill and it was clear that not a hell of research had gone into understanding firearms in the very limited time that was provided for the Bill to be drafted in. Tuesday the 20^th saw a third draft of the bill and this was what ended up being debated in parliament.

Going into the week knowing that the Government had already cut a deal with the Greens, with very little consultation with the firearms and shooting sector, our time was best spent trying to lobby for as many “rough edges” to be taken out as possible.

While our position was that no changes are needed to current firearm regulatory frameworks, our secondary positions included key point such as:

• If there is going to be a buyback, it needs to include all equipment and be at fair market value
• Where additional background checks are provided, there need to be “merit-based review” provisions included
• Changes to importation requirements/restrictions need to be risk-based and not be a “limitation by stealth” on state-based firearm legislation

To push this position and represent our members, the SSAA went into back-to-back meetings across the two days and met with members from all parties in both houses. While it was never going to be possible to hold back the dirty deal done by Labor and the Greens, the by the time the Bill passed both houses, it looked significantly different to the exposure draft we read in disbelief on Monday morning. The final version can be accessed here – Firearms Bill.

We know thousands of our members will be feeling this acutely and concerned about the ramifications for them, their families and their businesses. This is understandable, but please know that the SSAA will not stop our efforts to influence the next steps that are to come in this matter, including:

• Development of the regulations
• Details of the buyback scheme
• Legislation in all states

While the Nationals, Liberals and some independents voted against the bill, this outcome is also a reminder that this change was possible because of Labor and the Greens doing a deal. There are a number of state elections on the horizon so you can see who voted for or against your interests here – Firearms Bill – who voted for what.