The Australian Capital Territory (ACT), which includes Canberra, has agreed to join the federal government's national gun buyback scheme announced in January 2026 following the deadly Bondi Beach mass shooting in December 2025 [1, 2, 3].
The buyback scheme was introduced as a response to the December 14, 2025 attack at a Jewish festival at Bondi Beach, where 15 people were killed in an antisemitic terrorist incident [1, 2, 3]. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the gun reform measures are vital to preventing such attacks in the future and thanked the ACT government for its cooperation. "National gun reform is an important part of making sure an antisemitic terrorist attack like the one we saw at Bondi can’t happen again," Albanese said [2].
The ACT government had initially committed to joining the scheme but was negotiating funding details with the federal government. Under the final agreement, the federal government will cover 75% of buyback and administrative costs and 100% of firearm destruction costs for the ACT buyback [2, 3].
The ACT has around 23,000 registered firearms and over 7,000 firearms license holders. It becomes the second Australian jurisdiction to commit after New South Wales agreed earlier in August 2026 [1, 2, 3].
The New South Wales scheme will run in two phases, with payments of up to AUD 1,000 (US$717) for guns handed in during phase one starting November 2, 2026, and up to AUD 10,000 (US$7,170) for higher-value firearms in phase two starting early 2027 [2, 3].
Prime Minister Albanese said, "I thank the ACT Government for their collaboration as we work to take guns off our streets in order to better protect Australians" [1].
The national gun buyback program also includes measures to strengthen gun licensing checks and crack down on hate crimes, aiming to reduce the risk of mass shootings like the one at Bondi Beach [1, 2, 3].
Phase one of the New South Wales buyback will begin November 2, 2026, marking the first active phase of the national effort. The ACT's participation follows swift commitments from states to reduce firearms in circulation after the tragic 2025 attack [2, 3].
