A key piece of Port Arthur-era gun reform remains unfinished. Could it have helped prevent the Bondi attack?

The footbridge where the shooters were firing from during Bondi beach terror attack. Photograph: Luca Ittimani/The Guardian

A national firearms register, which would track weapons across the country in real time, was a priority for law enforcement and gun control advocates after the 1996 Port Athur massacre.

But almost 30 years later, it remains unfinished.