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Parliament to be recalled early as Labor seeks to crack down on ‘hate preachers’ and fund gun buybacks

Coalition gearing up to intensify campaign for royal commission into antisemitism but may be split on tighter gun controls

The federal parliament will be recalled early as the Albanese government seeks to rush through laws to crack down on “hate preachers” and fund a national gun buyback scheme in the wake of the Bondi beach alleged terrorist attack.

But the government is resisting calls for a royal commission into antisemitism, as the Coalition prepares to use parliament’s return to intensify the campaign for an inquiry.

Parliament was not due to resume until 3 February but MPs are now expected to return to Canberra before Australia Day to debate Labor’s legislative response to the 14 December mass shooting.

The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, had signalled parliament would be recalled as soon as possible to deal with two reforms promised in the week after the atrocity: stronger hate speech laws targeting so-called “hate preachers” and tighter gun controls, including through a firearm buyback scheme.

The new hate speech laws will include an offence for preachers and leaders who promote violence, and a new regime to list organisations whose leaders engage in hate speech that promotes violence or racial hatred.

The government also intends to outlaw “serious vilification” based on race or advocating racial supremacy, and to create a new aggravated offence target adults who seek to radicalise children.

The attorney general, Michelle Rowland, last month declared that “unprecedented radicalisation of our youth must stop”, revealing almost half of the 33 people before the courts on terrorism charges at the time were minors.

The government will introduce legislation to help fund the largest national firearm buyback since the Port Arthur massacre in 1996, with costs to be split 50:50 with the states and territories.

The buyback is designed to operate alongside new gun controls, which state leaders agreed to legislate in their jurisdictions at an emergency national cabinet after the Bondi massacre.

The New South Wales premier, Chris Minns, was the first to move, recalling parliament before Christmas to rush through laws that imposed a limit of four firearms for individuals and 10 for farmers and sports shooters.

The federal government wants other states and territories to pass their own laws no later than 1 July.

The nationwide push to tighten gun laws is facing resistance from gun groups and the Nationals, potentially jeopardising the prospects of the federal Coalition supporting any legislation.

The Greens support tougher guns laws, including a buyback, meaning Labor would have the numbers in the Senate.

The opposition leader, Sussan Ley, said she would have a “sensible look” at whatever legislation was put forward.

But Ley said tightening gun laws was “not the main game”, again demanding Albanese heed calls from families of Bondi victims, Jewish leaders and others to establish a federal royal commission into antisemitism.

The Coalition wants to use parliamentary tactics to build pressure on Albanese, drawing inspiration from the campaign that resulted in Malcolm Turnbull reluctantly calling a banking royal commission in 2017.

“We in the Coalition will do everything in our power, we will leave no stone unturned to deliver this commonwealth royal commission,” Ley said.

“And if the prime minister has to be dragged, kicking and screaming, to call this royal commission, then so be it. Because Australians deserve no less.”

Ley said the opposition was prepared to support a crackdown on hate speech laws but was yet to be briefed on the details of the legislation.

The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, said while the calls for a royal commission “come overwhelmingly from a good place” they would not shift the government’s position.

Chalmers reiterated the focus was on “urgent and immediate” steps, which included the new hate speech and gun laws, Dennis Richardson’s review of intelligence and security agencies, responding to Jillian Segal’s antisemitism review and assisting the looming state-based royal commission in NSW.

“The government is taking a number of steps. We know that the world is watching, because what happened at Bondi last month was such a horrifying event, and the urgent and the immediate actions that we are taking are really important when it comes to us learning from and responding to this attack,” he said.

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