NSW Liberals pledge to scrap gun buyback amid election countdown

The New South Wales Liberals have pledged to freeze the state's buyback of guns and scrap ownership limits for farmers if elected next year.

NSW was the first state to sign up to the national gun buyback promised in the wake of the Bondi Beach terror attack on December 14, 2025.

The state Liberals voted with the government in support of gun caps and a buyback last year, but now the party is vowing to scrap the caps and freeze the buyback.

Changes would be subject to the results of a commission of inquiry and stakeholder feedback.

NSW Police Minister Yasmin Catley described the move as a backflip by the state Liberal party.

"We know that after Bondi, [the NSW Liberals] stood up and they voted for strong gun laws. Months later, they're walking away from that decision," she said.

"We know that One Nation wants weaker gun laws. Now the Liberals and Nationals are following them down that road.

"New South Wales cannot afford a Coalition that lets One Nation write its policy on guns. The safety of our community is too important for that."

'Entirely offensive'

NSW opposition leader Kellie Sloane rejected the criticism.

"In the aftermath of [the terror attack at] Bondi, we offered bipartisanship support, but it was conditional on feedback from stakeholders and if we saw any unintended consequences, we should get back to the drawing board," she said.

Ms Sloane said she found it "entirely offensive" that people would criticise her for coming up with what she described as a better plan.

"While we spent hundreds of millions of dollars taking guns off of law abiding citizens, we are failing to recognise the real threat in our communities and we just can't afford to do that," she said.

"An elected Liberals-Nationals government would have a commission of inquiry to look at gun reform to make sure we are targeting the terrorists, we're targeting organised crime, we are taking guns out of dangerous hands."

Sydney's south and south-west have borne the brunt of a spate of tit-for-tat violence linked to underworld tensions over the past 18 months, with innocent parties falling victim to bungled operations.

The issue has become hot political fodder six months out from the NSW state election, with Ms Sloane repeatedly accusing the Labor government of losing control of Sydney streets.

The state government this week introduced legislation to parliament aimed at targeting criminal networks and bolstering police powers to disrupt underworld groups.

Under the reforms, young people charged with some offences linked to organised crime would be tried or sentenced as adults in the district or supreme courts, where they face tougher maximum penalties.

Liberals face uphill battle

Ms Sloane was today asked to respond to reports an anonymous MP described the NSW Liberal party as "sleepwalking to defeat".

"I'm not going to comment on an anonymous, unattributed quotes," she said.

"We're going to win this election, I am certain of it, because we are the only ones to turn our economy around that has flatlined under Labor.

"What I'm hearing on the streets are people are looking for policies like we've announced today, they're looking for reasons to vote Liberal and I'm going to give them plenty of reasons to vote Liberal or Nationals."

A high-profile anti-corruption probe into the actions of a right-wing Liberal party faction has cast a pall on the Liberals' election campaign.

In another blow, Liberal frontbencher James Griffin this month announced he would not seek re-election for the seat of Manly, which has been held by the Liberals for almost 20 years.

The embattled Liberals must also contend with growing support for One Nation, with Premier Chris Minns conceding the party was perhaps Labor's biggest threat.

"If the government falls in March of next year, it's likely to be a One Nation-led government," he told parliament earlier this week.