Government to establish largest gun buyback scheme since 1996

The government will launch a national gun buy-back scheme targeting surplus, newly banned and illegal firearms. The Prime Minister has described it as the largest buy-back since Howard era reforms introduced in the aftermath of the 1996 Port Arthur massacre. States and territories will be responsible for collecting and destroying the weapons and will split the cost of the scheme equally with the Commonwealth. Mr Albanese has also decreed this Sunday, a day of reflection to honour the victims of the terror attack with a National Day of Mourning to follow sometime in the new year.