Albanese announces buyback, says, “We need to get guns off our streets”

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has pledged funding for what he says will be the biggest firearms buyback since 1996.

He said the Commonwealth would share the costs of the buyback equally with participating states.

“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,” he said.

“There’s no reason why someone in that situation needed that many guns.”

The  buyback will be aimed at firearms that will be banned under new state or territory legislation. 

It will also encourage people to surrender unwanted firearms and unregistered ones.