Kyle Sandilands has wasted no time kicking off KIIS’ 2026 season by putting Prime Minister Anthony Albanese directly on the spot over Australia’s gun laws – just days after the government confirmed it would split its controversial Bondi Bill to ensure firearms reforms pass parliament.
The confrontation unfolded live on air when Albanese unexpectedly phoned in to The Kyle & Jackie O Show, interrupting what had begun as a casual chat with a listener.
After a few minutes of pleasantries – including where the Prime Minister and his new wife, Jodie Haydon, spend most of their time (The Lodge, as it turns out) – Sandilands steered the conversation sharply toward the aftermath of the Bondi Beach massacre.
Albanese holds Sandilands’ son, Otto, while attending his wedding.
‘How did no one join the dots?’
Sandilands opened by acknowledging the gravity of the attack, while pressing Albanese on why proposed gun law changes were now being rushed through parliament.
“One quick thing here about the whole Bondi thing. We’ve been across it, we chatted about it this morning,” Sandilands said.
“It’s horrific, the whole situation. I know you’re doing your very best to balance all of this for everyone to calm down. But I did notice the change to the gun laws.”
Drawing on personal experience, Sandilands questioned how licensing safeguards had appeared to fail in this case, even though he himself had been denied access to a firearm.
“I tried to register some weapons at the end of last year and get the licence, everything renewed. And I was told that I wasn’t allowed to have a firearm because of Bruno, my manager’s mental health, and also that I knew people who had been arrested before for gun possession,” he said.
“So I wasn’t allowed one, which I think is fine, right? But how did this guy, how did this alleged murderer and the father, have all those weapons and no one sort of joined the dots?”
Sandilands went further, questioning how firearms access was possible despite apparent intelligence warnings.
“If they know that I can’t have a weapon because my mate got done for gun crimes and Bruno’s mental, surely your dad can’t own guns if you’re on an ASIO watch list. Where was that, how did that all fall apart.”
Albanese acknowledged the failures, confirming gaps in the system had been identified following the attack – gaps the government now says it intends to close.
“There was an investigation in 2019 into the son, and it certainly should have been picked up,” Albanese said.
He revealed that one of the key reforms now being pushed to states would prevent non-citizens from holding gun licences or importing firearms.
“One of the things that we’ve put to the state is that someone who isn’t a citizen shouldn’t be granted a gun licence,” he said.
“And certainly part of the laws that will go before the parliament tomorrow will mean that non-citizens can’t import weapons as well.”
“At the moment, there are no restrictions there. So this has been exposed and needs to be fixed.”
The Prime Minister said the government’s focus was firmly on preventing a repeat of the tragedy.
“What I’m about is making sure that we do what we can to fix it so that something like this can never happen again,” he said.
“We’re focused on getting weapons off the street.”
Why the Bondi Bill was split
The exchange comes as Albanese confirmed the government will split the Bondi Bill after it became clear the Greens and Coalition would not support the legislation while hate speech and racial vilification provisions remained attached.
The decision was announced at a hastily convened press conference after it emerged that gun law changes could pass when parliament is recalled next week – but only if separated from the broader omnibus package.
“We will not be proceeding with the racial vilification provisions because it’s clear that that will not have support,” Albanese said.
Despite shelving those measures, Albanese insisted the government remains committed to addressing hate-fuelled violence.
“We are focused as well on what we can do to lower the temperature, stop anti-Semitism,” he said.
“Not all of them will receive support, I think that’s unfortunate. But we took the recommendations of the Envoy on Anti-Semitism, and we’re about implementing them.”
‘You don’t just use guns’
Sandilands pushed back, arguing that firearms laws alone would not address the deeper drivers of violence.
“Well, that’s great. But getting rid of the hate and the belief that you can eradicate another race off the planet, that’s the fundamental problem,” he said.
“Because you don’t just use guns, you can use a semi-trailer, you can use a car, you can use explosive devices. There are a million ways to kill people, a million. But the foundation of hating someone where you want to kill them, that is the bit that we need to hyper-focus on and eradicate that belief system.”
Jackie ‘O’ Henderson acknowledged the scale of the challenge.
“That’s a tough ask, to do that. It’s a tough job,” she said. “How do you do that?”
Albanese said the responsibility extended well beyond government.
“That’s why it’s not just a job for the government,” he said.
“It’s a job for broadcasters such as yourselves and all of your listeners, too. Love is a more powerful thing than hate. And hate distorts people.”
A nation pauses to remember
As the political debate continues, Australia will pause next week to remember the victims of the Bondi Beach massacre.
Flags will be flown at half-mast, landmarks illuminated, and Australians encouraged to light a candle on January 22 for the National Day of Mourning, honouring the 15 people killed in the alleged terrorist attack.
A minute of silence will be observed at 7.01pm, under the theme “Light will win, a gathering of unity and remembrance” – a message chosen by the Chabad Community, and one echoed, unexpectedly, in a raw and unscripted radio exchange that set the tone for KIIS’s year ahead.