Port Arthur: The shooting that changed Australia
Port Arthur: The shooting that changed Australia
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Thirty years ago, Australia experienced the deadliest mass shooting in its history. The Port Arthur massacre transformed the countryās relationshipĀ to gunsĀ and reshaped firearms policy for decades. Now, following the BondiĀ BeachĀ attack in December 2025, Australia is once again questioning whether those reforms are still sufficient. Mairead Dundas revisits Port Arthur forĀ FranceĀ 24
On 28 April 1996, a gunman arrived at the historic Port Arthur site in Tasmania armed with semi-automatic rifles and handguns. By the end of the attack, 35 people had been killed and dozens more injured.
The massacre prompted sweeping reforms under then prime minister John Howard, including a national gun buyback that removed more than 600,000 firearms from circulation. The changes marked a watershed in Australian politics and established the country as an international reference point for gun control.
That legacy is now under renewed scrutiny.
Civilian gun ownership has continued to rise, with more firearms now in private hands than at the time of the Port Arthur massacre. The Bondi attack has reignited questions about the effectiveness of Australia‘s gun laws, prompting Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to propose the most significant tightening of firearms legislation in almost three decades.
As Australia marks the 30th anniversary of Port Arthur, Revisited returns to Tasmania to examine how the massacre continues to shape the national debate.
Reporter Mairead Dundas speaks to survivors, journalists, gun-control campaigners, firearms dealers, farmers and hunters. Some argue Australia’s gun laws remain vital to public safety. Others believe they place unnecessary restrictions on lawful gun owners while failing to address the root causes of violence.
For survivors, Port Arthur remains a place of profound trauma and remembrance. Thirty years on, the massacre continues to shape Australia’s debate over safety, responsibility and the limits of gun law reform.
