The New South Wales Liberals have pledged to freeze the state's buyback of guns and scrap ownership limits for farmers if elected next year, a move that puts the machinery of lawmaking, police power and electioneering back on display for everyone to see. The party says the changes would depend on the results of a commission of inquiry and stakeholder feedback. NSW was the first state to sign up to the national gun buyback promised in the wake of the Bondi Beach terror attack on December 14, 2025.
Who Gets to Rewrite the Rules
The state Liberals voted with the government in support of gun caps and a buyback last year, but now the party is vowing to scrap the caps and freeze the buyback. That reversal has landed in the middle of a campaign season where the major parties are fighting over who gets to manage fear, punishment and public safety from above. NSW Police Minister Yasmin Catley called the move a backflip by the state Liberal party. She said, "We know that after Bondi, [the NSW Liberals] stood up and they voted for strong gun laws. Months later, they're walking away from that decision."
Catley also tied the shift to One Nation, saying, "We know that One Nation wants weaker gun laws. Now the Liberals and Nationals are following them down that road. New South Wales cannot afford a Coalition that lets One Nation write its policy on guns. The safety of our community is too important for that." The language is polished, but the power struggle is plain: parties, police ministers and parliamentary blocs arguing over who gets to set the terms while ordinary people live with the consequences.
What People at the Bottom Pay For
Sydney's south and south-west have borne the brunt of a spate of tit-for-tat violence linked to underworld tensions over the past 18 months, with innocent parties falling victim to bungled operations. That is the part the campaign slogans can’t scrub away. The people paying are not the ones drafting the talking points. They’re the ones caught in the crossfire of criminal networks, police powers and political panic.
The issue has become hot political fodder six months out from the NSW state election, with Ms Sloane repeatedly accusing the Labor government of losing control of Sydney streets. The state government this week introduced legislation to parliament aimed at targeting criminal networks and bolstering police powers to disrupt underworld groups. Under the reforms, young people charged with some offences linked to organised crime would be tried or sentenced as adults in the district or supreme courts, where they face tougher maximum penalties. That’s the state’s answer: more courts, harsher penalties, broader police reach.
The Inquiry, the Faction, the Campaign
NSW opposition leader Kellie Sloane rejected the criticism. She said, "In the aftermath of [the terror attack at] Bondi, we offered bipartisanship support, but it was conditional on feedback from stakeholders and if we saw any unintended consequences, we should get back to the drawing board." She said it was "entirely offensive" that people would criticise her for coming up with what she described as a better plan.
Sloane also said, "While we spent hundreds of millions of dollars taking guns off of law abiding citizens, we are failing to recognise the real threat in our communities and we just can't afford to do that." She added, "An elected Liberals-Nationals government would have a commission of inquiry to look at gun reform to make sure we are targeting the terrorists, we're targeting organised crime, we are taking guns out of dangerous hands." The promise is wrapped in the language of accountability, but it still runs through the same channels: commissions, stakeholders, parliament, police and the ballot box.
This week, ICAC's gaze is likely to feel even closer for state opposition leader Kellie Sloane, as the anti-corruption commission hears from one of her most senior parliamentary colleagues. A high-profile anti-corruption probe into the actions of a right-wing Liberal party faction has cast a pall on the Liberals' election campaign. The party’s internal machinery is under scrutiny even as it asks voters to trust it with more power.
In another blow, Liberal frontbencher James Griffin this month announced he would not seek re-election for the seat of Manly, which has been held by the Liberals for almost 20 years. The embattled Liberals must also contend with growing support for One Nation, with Premier Chris Minns conceding the party was perhaps Labor's biggest threat. He told parliament earlier this week, "If the government falls in March of next year, it's likely to be a One Nation-led government." He added, "That's the grim numbers as we're looking at it."
The whole thing reads like a contest between rival managers of the same order. One side promises tougher policing and adult court treatment for young people. Another promises a commission of inquiry and a freeze on the buyback. Both are selling control. Neither is offering anything close to the kind of self-organization or community power that would leave ordinary people less exposed to the wreckage.