Australia’s Prime Minister sparks debate over plan to toughen hate speech laws after Bondi attack

After the mass attack on Bondi Beach during Hanukkah celebrations, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced a national gun buyback program and proposed new hate speech laws.

Although this law has not yet been written, it is causing controversy as there are fears that these laws may be used as political weapons appear. Critics also say that neither gun purchases nor hate speech laws are at the root of what has led to terrorist attacks.

“Well, it is difficult for them to actually strengthen the rules. It is not clear what they propose to do,” Dr. Reuben Kirkham, one of the directors of the Free Speech Union of Australia, told Fox News Digital. “What they’re probably going to try to do is expand it to include a lot of things that have nothing to do with hate speech, really.”

Albanese told reporters on Friday that the government was working to “fix the rules” and acknowledged the difficulties associated with the issue. He said “there are issues of freedom of speech involved in this as well – we want to make sure that these laws are not passed and we roll over.”

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The proposed changes include federal charges of “intense hate speech,” aimed at preachers who promote violence and “serious insults” because of race, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported. The center noted that in the past 10 months, the government has strengthened hate speech laws with the aim of curbing racism and Islamophobia.

At the same time, New South Wales (NSW), where the terrorist attack took place, is considering banning chants of the phrase “globalize the intifada,” which many consider an anti-Semitic call to persecute Jews. The ban will also apply to the public display of ISIS flags and extremist symbols.

Additionally, NSW Premier Chris Minns said that, under the ban, police would be given more powers to demand that protesters remove face masks during demonstrations, according to the report. The Associated Press.

People add to the floral tribute outside the Bondi Pavilion at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Thursday, December 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Steve Markham)

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Kirkham told Fox News Digital that existing anti-blasphemy laws have already been used to stifle speech that opposes the government’s views. He believes that if these laws are strengthened after the Bondi Beach shooting, they will be used as political weapons, instead of protecting people every day. In addition, Kirkham said that he sees this as the government using this attack as an opportunity to pass laws that are in line with his views.

Furthermore, Kirkham says Albanese’s proposal would actually increase antisemitism rather than end it.

“What they’re basically saying is, ‘Well, we need more censorship laws. Why? Well, obviously to protect the Jewish people.’ So what they are saying to these communities is, ‘We are stopping you to protect the Jews.’ I mean how is that going to go down? Will that improve the issue of antisemitism, or will it make it worse?”

While the Australian government has focused its response on hate speech and gun laws, critics, such as Kirkham, say the Bondi Beach attack exposed intelligence failures.

Albanese said on Friday that intelligence had revealed that the Bondi Beach attack was in fact inspired by ISIS.

“We have been informed that the National Intelligence Office has identified a regular video feed on the Internet from ISIS that confirms that this was an attack inspired by ISIS. More work has been done by the security agencies regarding the motivation, and we will continue to meet and give them any support they need at this difficult time,” Albanese told reporters.

Fox News Digital has reached out to Albanese’s office for comment.

Bystanders were seen confronting one of the gunmen after the deadly attack at a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach in Australia. (Jenny/Reuters)

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Bill Roggio, executive director of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Fox News Digital that Western governments have been failing to address the problems of Islamist-inspired attacks.

“The problem here is that there is this radical Islamist ideology that includes political Islam, the Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas and Palestinian terrorist groups, to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State, and we in the West refuse, and from the beginning since 9/11, refuse to accept that,” said Roggio. “We don’t want to admit that there is a real problem within Islam, not about Islam, but within Islam.”

As authorities investigate the shooting, the focus has turned to the gunman’s son’s trip to the Philippines shortly before the Bondi Beach shooting.

The GV Hotel in Davao City said the men booked with a third party and were scheduled to arrive on November 15 but arrived on November 1, according to Reuters. The employee told Reuters that the pair booked the room for seven days but extended their stay three times and paid in cash. The hotel employee also said that the men did not interact with the staff and did not have any guests.

Philippine National Police Brig. Gen. Leon Victor Rosete, Davao regional police director, told the Guardian that the old gunman was fond of guns. He also talked about the “jog walk” of these gunmen that was recorded on CCTV, adding that both of them seemed to be exercising.

“My father showed interest in guns. He went into a gun shop,” Rosete told the Guardian. He later said that they did not visit any shooting sites in Davao.

A separate image shows an ISIS flag held by masked men, left, and a crime scene guarded by police at Bondi Beach in Australia following the shooting. (Tauseef Mustafa/David Gray/AFP via Getty Images)

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Davao City is located on the island of Mindanao, which has been under a “Level 3: Reconsider Travel” advisory since May. However, Department of State he said Davao City, more than a few other places, is unique in the advisory.

Roggio told Fox News Digital that Mindanao is “a known place for Islamist groups.”

“If they weren’t in the training camps, they would have received advice on how to plan the attack, where to plan the attack, what the target should be,” Roggio told Fox News Digital. He said the two may have received more “education” while in the Philippines.

People visit a floral tribute outside the Bondi Pavilion following Sunday’s shooting at Bondi Beach, Sydney, Friday, December 19, 2025. (Steve Markham/AP Photo)

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“Three-and-a-half weeks isn’t enough to be a two-fire team, but they’ve had enough training to make it happen,” Roggio said.

As authorities work to piece together how and why the Bondi Beach attack happened, debate over the government’s response continues, with critics warning that a band-aid solution will fail to address the root of the problem.