Liberal MP is first to be suspended from lower house in five years – as it happened

Victorian Greens say state Labor capitulated to gun lobby by rejecting firearms cap

The Victorian Greens say the Allan government has capitulated to the gun lobby after rejecting a key recommendation from former police commissioner Ken Lay to cap the number of firearms a person can own, following the Bondi massacre.

Leader of the Victorian Greens, Ellen Sandell, said:

Victorians are right to ask why anyone needs dozens or even hundreds of firearms and why Labor is letting them.

This was Labor’s chance to show leadership on gun reform and community safety, but they blinked because they’re more worried about upsetting powerful gun lobby groups in marginal seats ahead of this year’s election than community safety.

This is exactly why people are fed up with Labor. They’ll say or do whatever they need to cling to power, even if it means rejecting common sense reforms to keep people safe, just because the lobbyists will get upset.

Royal commission hearing concludes for the day

The royal commission into antisemitism and social cohesion hearing has wrapped up for the day.

The final witness we heard from today was the chief operating officer at CSG New South Wales, who used the pseudonym ABP.

He was in contact with NSW police in the lead-up to Hanukah events in Sydney’s eastern suburbs, and said he requested a static police presence at Chanukah by the Sea and in the park.

Recalling a phone call he had with the eastern suburbs police command in December, he said the operations inspector said they didn’t believe a static presence was required based upon their own risk assessment.

He continued:

I said that there would be a lot of unease from the community not having a static police presence on the ground and I would have tried to convince him.

Public hearings will continue on Tuesday and Wednesday, after which a number of witnesses will return for closed sessions.

Community Service Group notified police of likelihood of antisemitic attack prior to Bondi shooting, inquiry hears

The Community Service Group (CSG) requested assistance from NSW police to protect the Jewish community during Hanukah celebrations but did not receive a response from them, the royal commission has heard.

A senior officer of CSG New South Wales has been appearing at the royal commission under a pseudonym to protect their identity. CSG has operated as a private organisation since the 1970s to provide security to the Jewish community.

The witness, called “ABO”, says CSG produced its own threat assessments ahead of Hanukah 2025 which were emailed to NSW police.

Their documents warned the likelihood of “violent and/or antisemitic incidents is elevated due to the anticipated visibility of identifiably Jewish individuals in public spaces”.

It estimated about 1,000 guests during the Hanukah period at Bondi by the Sea, and reinforced the threat environment “remains heightened” for Jewish people.

“CSG is seeking assistance from NSW Police to ensure community safety,” it said.

The current security alert level for the New South Wales Jewish community [according to CSG’s metric], is five of six … A terrorist attack against the New South Wales Jewish community is likely, and there is a high level of antisemitic vilification.

The witness says there were 12 CSG volunteers at the Bondi event in December, none of whom were armed. NSW police did not respond to their email which requested additional resources, but attended in a roving capacity.

The witness also said NSW police had provided “far greater access” to CSG following the events of 7 October 2023 and there had been an “obvious and observable increase” in their presence at Jewish events since the terror attack in Bondi.

Jacinta Allan ‘not necessarily convinced’ a firearms cap would target criminals

The Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, has defended her government’s decision not to act on a recommendation to cap firearms at four per licence holder, saying she’s “not convinced” they work.

Allan told reporters the government would enact the renaming 15 recommendations of the rapid review by former police commissioner, Ken Lay, which was commissioned in the wake of the Bondi terror attack. She said:

Victoria already has some of the strongest firearm laws in the country. These are laws that save lives, reflect the values of our community, and first and foremost have that focus on keeping the community safe. Ken’s work … highlights where Victoria’s firearm laws can be stronger, and that is exactly what we will be delivering with legislation to come before the Victorian parliament in June.

Allan said the laws will “go after the dangerous people who illegally hold traffic and use firearms”.

The vast majority of firearm owners, the overwhelming majority are law-abiding. I’m just not necessarily convinced that caps is the way to go, because the vast majority are responsible gun owners, that is my view, and the vast majority of gun owners do do the right thing … What we have to really target our focus on and our effort on are those evil actors, the criminals who get their hands on one single gun.

The police minister, Anthony Carbines, confirmed the state would not be part of the federal gun buyback scheme as a result:

The buyback scheme relates to caps, the government is not engaging in caps, and so the government won’t be engaging in the buyback scheme as it sits currently through the commonwealth.

He said the state wasn’t the only one with a “different position”:

There are many different positions and determinations being made by jurisdictions across the country when it comes to caps.

There is no consistent position, and Victoria has made its determination.

Victorian gun laws review shows firearms suicides outnumber assaults by more than three to one

Lay’s report also provided some interesting data regarding firearms licenses in Victoria. It said there were 240,300 firearms licence holders and 974,550 registered firearms. This is fewer than Queensland and New South Wales, which have 1.17 million and 1.13 million, respectively.

Lay’s report said hunting is the most common single reason for firearm possession in Victoria, with 131,000 people possessing firearms for that purpose. It said this was about five times the number of licence holders for primary production and seven times as many as for sports shooting.

The report said hunters possess 4.1 firearms on average, with almost 35,900 individuals possessing more than four firearms solely for hunting, including “one individual possessing 135 firearms solely for this purpose”.

The report also said the data on firearms-related harm in Victoria “tells a story that many Victorians may not expect” – this is because in the 10 years to December 2025, firearms suicides (342 deaths) outnumbered firearms assaults (104 deaths) by more than three to one.

The report reads:

Firearms-related harm is concentrated in private and domestic settings, not public places. It is more prevalent in regional Victoria than metropolitan Melbourne and disproportionately affects men and older people.

These patterns tell us that effective firearms regulation is as much about preventing self-harm and family violence as it is about preventing the kind of public mass casualty events that drive political and media attention.

• If you or someone you know needs support, please contact Lifeline 13 11 14, Beyond Blue 1300 224 636, or Suicide Call Back Service 1300 659 467 for 24/7 crisis support.

Victoria will not introduce cap on firearms ownership despite recommendation

The Victorian government will not introduce a firearms cap, despite a recommendation from a rapid review into the state’s gun laws that it commissioned after the Bondi terror attack.

The premier, Jacinta Allan, and the police minister, Anthony Carbines, will shortly hold a press conference to release the review into the state’s firearms laws, written by former Victoria police commissioner Ken Lay, and the government’s response.

The Lay review makes 16 recommendations, including imposing a cap of four firearms per individual, with exemptions allowing an additional six firearms for primary producers and sport shooters who can demonstrate a “compelling need” for them.

For any additional firearms above 10, Lay recommends that licence holders be required to provide a “genuine and exceptional need for each single additional firearm” and be subject to appropriate oversight, conditions and compliance requirements, at the discretion of the chief commissioner.

Lay said the cap would support a “nationally consistent approach” and reflected the current ownership patterns in the state.

But the government’s response said it would not accept the recommendation. It did not state the reason.

The remaining 15 recommendations were accepted, including updating existing firearms classifications and introducing a citizenship requirement for firearms licence holders.

Tasmania and Queensland had earlier ruled out introducing caps.

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Jacinta Allan confirms Neale Daniher will be honoured with state funeral

The Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, held a press conference earlier this afternoon, in which she confirmed plans for a state service to honour Neale Daniher. She told reporters:

A few moment ago, I spoke to Jan Daniher and expressed my deepest sympathy and condolences of the loss of her much-loved husband, Neale, and passed on my condolences on behalf of everyone in the Victorian community to Jan and the family. During that conversation I offered to Jan and the family the services of a state funeral to honour the incredible commitment and legacy of Neale Daniher, and the family have accepted that offer of our state funeral and arrangements will follow.

She said the news of Daniher’s death was “devastating”.

The thoughts and love of all Victorians will be going to the Daniher family as we hold them in our hearts today, and also reflect on the incredible contribution Neale has made to the life of our state – yes, as an incredible footballer, and the contribution he has made to the game here in this state and nationally – but that incredible commitment and determination following his diagnosis of MND and his determination not just to fight the beast but to give his energy to finding a cure, to raising money for a cure, and how that has touched the lives of so, so many families around the nation.

The number of hate crime incidents towards Jewish groups has surged from 40 in 2020 to 841 in 2025, the royal commission has heard.

The data, collected by the NSW police force’s engagement and hate crimes unit, showed the number of incidents were:

• 40 in 2020

• 59 in 2021

• 118 in 2022

• 353 for 2023

• 445 in 2024

• 841 in 2025.

There have been 287 incidents in the first quarter of 2026.

The assistant commissioner of Counter Terrorism and Special Tactics (CTST) at the NSW police force, Leanne McCusker, said the number of incidents was a “concerning level” and coincided with the attack on Israel in 2023 and subsequent war in Gaza.

No threat assessment was made by NSW police for the Hanukkah by the Sea event at Bondi.

McCusker said threat assessments have not historically been prepared for Jewish community events, including Hanukah, because they have been restricted to “major” events including New Year’s Eve, Australia Day and Mardi Gras.

Asked if it would have been a “good idea” for a threat assessment to have been made, she said she saw “no reason” why one couldn’t be completed and was “aware” of the recommendation for them to be done for future Hanukah events.

Royal commission hearings resume

The royal commission hearings have returned after a lunch break, with the assistant commissioner of Counter Terrorism and Special Tactics (CTST) at the NSW police force, Leanne McCusker, on the stand.

McCusker is asked about the upgrading of the national terrorism threat level to “probable” in August 2024 following the conflict in the Middle East.

The commission hears that the NSW police force’s own threat assessment documents were updated in light of the escalation, which were sent to police commanders.

The documents warned the most likely terror attack to occur in NSW would target a crowded place and be executed by a lone actor or small group using rudimentary tactics.

Crowded places included “sport stadiums, transport infrastructure, shopping centres, tourist attractions, places of worship and civic spaces … parks, major streets and pedestrian traffic”, according to the documents.

The documents also stated crowded places were desirable targets “particularly during events of significance such as Australia Day, New Year’s Day and other commemorative events or religious holidays”.

McCusker said it was her expectation the documents would inform tasking and operational policing decisions for events, including for the Hanukah event at the park in Bondi in December 2025.

The last remaining Australian women and children left stranded in al-Roj detention camp in north-east Syria are set to return home.

Guardian Australia has confirmed the group – which reportedly includes seven women and 14 children – have bought plane tickets to return to Australia.

All are Australian citizens and have travel documents. One woman is subject to a temporary exclusion order imposed to prevent her re-entry into Australia.

The Australians are the wives, widows and children of jailed or dead Islamic State fighters, and most have been held at the camp for more than six years. Some of the women could face terror-related charges on landing in Australia.

But many of the women have said they were coerced or tricked into entering Syria, or visited neighbouring countries for humanitarian reasons before being trafficked into IS territory. Some of the children were born in the camp and have never been outside it.

In a statement, the home affairs minister, Tony Burke, said:

The Government will not repatriate or provide assistance to this group.

Australian Federal Police operations preparing for returns from Syria have been in place since 2015. In that time many people, including 45 men who went to fight have returned. Our agencies are ready if these citizens choose to return.

Thanks so much for following along on the blog today.

I’ll leave you with the brilliant Cait Kelly and see you back here bright and early tomorrow!

Tl;dr here’s what happened in question time

• Phil Thompson was the first MP in nearly five years to be suspended by the House, after refusing to withdraw comments calling the Albanese government “liars”.

• Thompson refused to withdraw the comments three times, causing the Speaker to “name” him, followed by a suspension vote in the House. Earlier in QT the Speaker also kicked out Liberal MP Ben Small for three hours (a punishment longer than the standard one hour for talking back to the Speaker).

• The Coalition focused on the budget and changes to capital gains tax today, with a series of scenarios of Australians being left worse off.

• The prime minister told Angus Taylor to watch his back, while he and Jim Chalmers tried to use shadow treasurer Tim Wilson’s own words against him.

• The PM dodged a question from the Greens on whether gas lobbyists attended Labor’s budget night fundraiser (but he took the question despite Milton Dick saying it wasn’t allowed).

AG thanks inaugural national anti-corruption commissioner

The attorney general, Michelle Rowland, has issued a short statement thanking Paul Brereton for his service as Australia’s first Nacc commissioner.

As my colleague Sarah Basford Canales brought you a moment ago (see below), Brereton just resigned from his role after nearly three years.

Rowland said Brereton has made an “invaluable contribution” to the watchdog.

I thank Commissioner Brereton for his service as commissioner of the National Anti-Corruption Commission following his appointment in 2023.

Commissioner Brereton has made an invaluable contribution to the establishment of the NACC as its inaugural commissioner.

Question time ends

And after all of that drama, the PM calls time on QT.