Shadow Minister for Regional Development, Local Government and Territories - Shadow Minister for Regional Communications- Transcript - Interview ABC Radio Mildura -Swan Hill - 16 December 2025

DR ANNE WEBSTER MP

SHADOW MINISTER FOR REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT, LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND TERRITORIES

SHADOW MINISTER FOR REGIONAL COMMUNICATIONS

FEDERAL MEMBER FOR MALLEE

TRANSCRIPT

TOPICS:  Antisemitism, gun laws, Bondi terrorist attack, Port Arthur reforms, visa holders, radicalisation, hate crimes, mental health, immigration vetting, National Firearms register, gun control measures, farmers' need for firearms

MURPHY  

Australian gun laws are again under the microscope after Sunday's terrorist attack in Bondi in the eastern suburbs of Sydney. 15 people are confirmed to have died in the incident, and more than 40 people were injured, with many still in hospital. As of this morning, authorities have confirmed that one of the shooters had a licence to hold six firearms despite being in Australia on a visa, six guns were recovered from Sunday scene of the shooting. National cabinet met last night to discuss gun laws and gun control measures on the phone with me now is Dr Anne Webster, the Member for Mallee. Good morning.

WEBSTER  

Anne, good morning. Ben, how are you?

MURPHY  

I guess, as good as you and the rest of Australia is this morning. It's been a heavy few days.

WEBSTER  

Yes, indeed it has. It's been horrific, and we've seen really nothing like it since Port Arthur.

MURPHY  

Anne, national cabinet met last night and have committed to look at the number of guns one person can own. What do you make of this measure in gun control?

WEBSTER  

Look, I think, frankly, we had a National Party meeting yesterday afternoon to talk about this whole horrendous happening, and where we came to, that it occurred. And our view is that gun control is not the issue, that it's a deflection from the real issue, which has been that antisemitism has been allowed to continue to rise in Australia since October 7,2023 and that the Prime Minister and his cabinet have failed to deal with this issue. We've had instance after instance, whether it's firebombed synagogues, whether it's marches that have become violent and aggressive, whether it's university campuses, you know, in full protest mode - antisemitism behaviour, whether it's child care centres, whether it's graffiti, including in Red Cliffs here in Sunraysia, whether it is, you know, I've got a Jewish constituent down in Maryborough, he has spoken to me about what has occurred down there. This is not just Sydney and Melbourne. This is across Australia, and we have to stamp it out. It is absolutely unacceptable, and the Prime Minister has given weasel words for the last two years that have allowed this situation to happen. Yes, there are questions about whether these two, father and son, people were radicalised. Did they go to the Philippines and go to a radicalisation camp over there? Which apparently exist - the questions are, whether there is more of this, whether there are sleeper cells. These are the questions, it is a tough one.

MURPHY  

We know our national cabinet have agreed to look at the rise of antisemitism and to fund more Jewish events. But getting back to the gun laws, among suggestions include restrictions on gun imports and a National Firearms register. What do you think of those suggestions?

WEBSTER  

Look, I think the John Howard reforms post- what occurred at Port Arthur have worked. That's a fact. I mean, this fellow ‘Naveed’ had six guns that were licensed to him, so he had licensed his guns. Now, as a visa holder, I think that's the question, you know, should people who are here on a visa, who have not been vetted appropriately, have guns? Probably not. I certainly think that's something that we should be looking at. But what, what kinds of people are we bringing into Australia? We don't want people to come to Australia who are bringing their hate with them from these ancient, you know, war zones into Australia. That's not who we are as Australians. We don't want to see that continue.

MURPHY  

And it certainly feels there's a lot of hate in our country. You know, there's violence, against women, there's, you know, homophobia, there's transphobia, there's so much hate in this country. So there seems to be an underlying current for all minority groups that need to be looked at, and limiting damage that can happen to any demographic is very important. What more would you or The Nationals support when it comes to gun laws and gun control?

WEBSTER  

I'd be very surprised if we're very open to very much in the way of gun law changes. We believe that Jillian Segal’s report, which she handed to the prime minister in February of this year, 10 months ago, which the Labor Party have not responded to at all, have not implemented, have not agreed with her recommendations. That is the first place to start. Our gun laws are actually, you know, pretty sound. And if people have murderous intent in this way that if they don't use a gun, they're going to use something else. And what will happen if we implement tougher rules and laws on guns? It may mean that our farming community can't get rid of the pests, such as, you know, the kangaroos, the foxes, the rabbits, the things that destroy agriculture. Farmers need to be able to manage that. So, you know, the real ... we need to focus on, what is the real issue here? Antisemitism is the real issue, and nobody has really wanted to say it for the last...

MURPHY  

... could it be that a lot of these things is, more just hate in general, and anger from ... and perhaps mental health, more than a specific one group, because there's, there's been targets for many different groups over the last couple of years?

WEBSTER  

Well, I'd like to know which group, as you refer to, who have been massacred in the way that we have seen in this last weekend, the Jewish community do not feel safe in Australia. And in fact, some are saying that they feel safer going to Israel. Now that's really saying something. This is not Australia. It is not Australia. This is not who we are, and we have had an embracing attitude to everyone who has come to Australia. But clearly the vetting of, you know, what has gone on here is, is really disturbing the fact that Tony Burke met people and did his photo ops at the airport as people came from Gaza when they have not been vetted, is really incredibly disturbed. What is going on in the immigration space that we are letting in people that we don't know whether they are part of hate cells, we don't know whether they're part of a murderous regime. This is not okay. And you know, we need tighter, tighter laws around what is happening in the immigration space.

MURPHY  

We're speaking with Dr Anne Webster this morning and do you hold any concerns that a blanket ban on guns would mirror the one for machetes done in Victoria this year, despite exceptions being in place?  

WEBSTER  

Absolutely, I mean, it's a joke, the machete ban and the bins and the millions of dollars that have been spent on that is just ... I don't know anyone who thought it was a great idea. Frankly, anyone I spoke to was like snorting down their nose at how ridiculous it was. Again, a deflection from actually empowering our police to do their job. And in terms of gun laws, the gun law issue, I repeat myself, is a deflection that the Prime Minister is making in order to save his own face, that he has done nothing about antisemitism until, since October the 7th, 2023. It is a disgrace on Australia.

MURPHY  

Anne Webster, I appreciate your time. Thank you, Dr. Anne Webster, there clearly a very impassioned topic for many people this morning. My heart goes out to absolutely everyone.