Ms JODIE HARRISON (Charlestown—Minister for Women, Minister for Seniors, and Minister for the Prevention of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault) (13:57): I make a contribution in support of the Terrorism and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2025. The circumstances that have led to us returning to this place to urgently debate this bill are indeed heartbreaking. Our Jewish community deserves to feel safe and to be safe. But at 6.47 p.m. on Sunday14 December 2025, the worst fears of the Jewish community unfolded. Fifteen lives were lost, many other people were injured and dozens were hospitalised. Mothers, fathers, children and grandparents were senselessly murdered while proudly celebrating their faith. They deserve better than that. They deserve to be able to practise their faith. They deserve to walk the streets. They deserve to live in safety just like every other person in the beautifully multicultural State. This bill is not a panacea. More must be done, and the Premier has clearly said that more is to come. But this bill is an immediate first step towards a safer New South Wales for all of us.

The bill aims to reduce community tensions and instead promote community harmony. Antisemitism and other hate movements are clearly not welcome in this State. They are unacceptable and they will not be tolerated in our multicultural New South Wales. The bill will establish a scheme for public assembly restriction declarations, which will prohibit public assemblies in a designated area within 14 days after a terrorist incident being declared, and which can be extended for a maximum of 90 days. The bill also prohibits the public display of terrorist organisation symbols and enables police to require a person to remove a face covering during a public assembly if they are suspected of an offence. The bill will embed the toughest gun laws in Australia. It is plainly unacceptable that one of the alleged terrorists was not only licensed but also legally cleared to possess six firearms.

The bill contains pragmatic, commonsense measures designed to stop history from repeating. It further restricts the number and type of firearms a person can hold and tightens licensing requirements, as the police Minister clearly explained in her second reading speech. As the Minister responsible for the prevention of domestic violence and sexual assault, it is not lost on me how weapons can be abused by those who seek to harm and kill their victims. In 2017 John Edwards murdered his children, Jack and Jennifer, in their home at West Pennant Hills before turning the weapon on himself. He did that with the intention of causing maximum pain to the mother of his children.

In the aftermath of that homicide, the Coroner's inquest report handed down 24 recommendations, and one of those called on the New South Wales Government to revoke the use of the P650 form. That form permits an unlicensed person to undergo firearms training without being vetted by the Firearms Registry. The Coroner's report recommended amendments to the Firearms Regulation to implement an alternative scheme requiring adequate verification of information and oversight by the Firearms Registry. I am pleased to note that the bill before the House includes amendments to fully respond to those recommendations.

The bill provides additional oversight measures, including mandatory gun club membership for firearm licence holders, requiring all gun clubs to use the Gun Safe online platform, making safe storage inspections mandatory prior to the issue of a first permit to acquire a firearm and preventing any licence holder from obtaining a firearm unless the commissioner is satisfied that they meet safekeeping requirements. Whether it be in the context of domestic violence or a terrorist attack, we must do everything we can to prevent history from repeating. All members of this House stand united with our Jewish community. An attack on any of us is an attack on all of us. This bill introduces the strongest gun laws in the country and prohibits activities which may increase community tensions after a terrorist act. We must always promote social cohesion. We must always come together to confront hate, prejudice and racism wherever we see it. I commend the bill to the House.