Following the Bondi Beach mass shooting that killed 15 people, the Australian state of New South Wales moved to introduce what officials described as the country’s toughest gun laws alongside new restrictions on speech and public protest. Less than two weeks after the attack, the NSW Legislative Assembly passed the Terrorism and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2025 early Wednesday. The legislation expands police powers, including the authority to restrict public protests for up to three months after a terrorism declaration and to ban the public display of symbols associated with prohibited organisations.

NSW Premier Chris Minns said the new laws include provisions to review hate speech and specifically referenced the phrase “globalize the Intifada,” which has been used in pro-Pales-tinian demonstrations. Minns stated that the changes were substantial and said they reflected a shift in the state following what authorities described as an antisemitic attack in Bondi. The legislation was passed amid heightened scrutiny of protests related to Pales-tine solidarity in NSW.

In response, three NSW-based advocacy groups representing Pales-tinian, Indigenous, and Jewish communities announced plans to file a constitutional challenge against the laws. They said the legislation improperly expands state power following the attack. The measures follow large-scale protests earlier this year, including a march of more than 100,000 people across the Sydney Harbour Bridge opposing Israel’s war on Ga-za. UN Special Rapporteur Ben Saul warned against excessive counterterrorism responses and criticised Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for linking the Bondi attack to Australia’s recognition of Pales-tinian statehood at the United Nations.