Australian state reeling from Bondi shooting to start gun buyback scheme in November

Government says programme is expected to take 274,000 guns out of circulation

Australia will begin buying back guns in November, almost a year after a shooting at Sydney's Bondi killed 15 people.

New South Wales, where the attack took place, will offer gun owners cash to give up their firearms.

People walk as the crime scene was reopened following the mass shooting at Bondi Beach on Sunday, in Sydney, Australia, Dec 19, 2025. (File photo: REUTERS/Hollie Adams) 15 Aug 2026 09:18PM SYDNEY: Australia's most populous state will start a gun buyback scheme in November, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Saturday

New South Wales will become the first state to begin a gun buyback scheme promised in the wake of the Bondi massacre, with shooters to be compensated up to $10,000 per firearm.