A decade on, journalist Carol Altmann looks at how the people, the place, the killer, and the whole country has changed since the horrific massacre at one of Australia's most infamous historic landmarks.
Insiders account of the long campaign for gun law reform in Australia. It analyses why politicians across the board moved so quickly to support Howard's agenda, despite an historical reluctance to legislate in this area and despite intense pressure from an organised and vocal gun lobby.
The events of April 28, 1996 in Port Arthur left Australia and the world stunned. How as a country do we ever recover, ever come to terms with what happened? How do the people who were there on the day, and those who continue to live and work at Port Arthur, move on from such a horrendous experience? Through the stories of people who were there and those left to pick up the pieces of their lives afterwards, a glimmer of hope emerges, and the possibility of healing and understanding. Writer and local resident Margaret Scott interviewed many of the people who were at Port Arthur on the day as well as local residents and families of the victims. This book contains their stories- simple acts of courage, stories of incredible bravery and inspiring tales of unexpected strength and a determination to remain hopeful in the face of indescribable horror. Honest and confronting but ultimately uplifting, this book should be read by every Australian.
Sonya Voumard's The Media and the Massacre is a chilling portrayal of journalism, betrayal, and storytelling surrounding the 1996 Port Arthur massacre. Inspired, in part, by renowned American author Janet Malcolm's famously controversial work The Journalist and the Murderer, Voumard's elegant new work of literary non-fiction examines the fascinating theme of 'the writer's treachery.' The author brings to bear her own journalistic experiences, ideas and practices in a riveting inquiry into her profession that is part-memoir and part ethical investigation. One of her case studies is the 2009 book Born about the perpetrator of the Port Arthur massacre, Martin Bryant, and his mother Carleen Bryant. Carleen sued, and received an undisclosed settlement, over the best-selling book's use of her personal manuscript. In the lead-up to the 20th anniversary of the Port Arthur massacre, The Media and the Massacre explores the nature of journalistic intent and many of the wider moral and social issues of the storytelling surrounding the events and their place in our cultural memory
In the aftermath of the Port Arthur massacre on 28 April 1996 – when a gunman murdered 35 people and injured another 23 at a popular Tasmanian tourist attraction – John Howard, a conservative prime minister who had been in office for just six weeks, surprised his colleagues and startled the nation by moving swiftly to transform Australia’s lax firearm laws. The National Firearms Agreement, produced just twelve days after the massacre with support from all levels of government and across the political divide, is now held up around the world as a model for gun control. Gun Control analyses whether the Australian Government achieved its intention and what it might have done in response to the massacre, and didn’t. ‘Anyone interested in learning how a democratic nation reduced senseless gun deaths needs to read this.’ — Jeffrey Bleich, former US Ambassador to Australia
This is the story of how on April 28th, 1996, a lone gunman with no warning, walked into a crowded cafe in the historical museum site of Port Arthur and opened fire on unsuspecting tourists with a semi-automatic assault rifle. By the time Martin Bryant's was captured nearly 24 hours later, his killing spree would claim the lives of 35 people and wound another 23 before he would finally surrender to Australian police. The massacre would become the most violent mass shooting in Australian history, committed by a 28 year psychopath with a long history of mental disorders including schizophrenia and depression. In this Australian true crimes investigative report, you'll relive the shocking true story of the Port Arthur Massacre including an in-depth analysis of Bryant's bizarre behavior leading up to his murderous rampage that killed men, women and children in cold blood. Written in vivid graphic detail, this is the story of the events that unfolded as told from the accounts of those that witnessed and survived one of the worst mass murders in Australian history."
Martin Bryant murdered 35 people and injured 37 during the Port Arthur massacre in Tasmania in 1996, a crime for which he is serving 35 life sentences in Hobart's Risdon Prison. It remains one of the largest single massacres by an individual and was the catalyst for Australia's gun law reform. Because Byrant pleaded guilty the case never went to trial and the full story of this tragedy was never released. Now Robert Wainwright and Paola Totaro, both senior news writers with The Sydney Morning Herald, have spoken to Bryant's mother, his psychiatrists and others who knew him. They have gained access to confession tapes made just after the murders and explored Bryant's family history dating back 150 years. With this exclusive insight the authors have pieced together the never-before-heard story of Bryant's life leading up to the massacre and what happened that fateful day. Their findings bring important issues concerning nature or nurture to light, and Born or Bred tells the compelling story of the tragedy Australia will never forget.
This excerpt from the “masterful, timely, data-driven” study of the gun control debate examines the potential of stronger purchasing laws (Choice). As the debate on gun control continues, evidence-based research is needed to answer a crucial question: How do we reduce gun violence? One of the biggest gun policy reforms under consideration is the regulation of firearm sales and stopping the diversion of guns to criminals. This selection from the major anthology of studies Reducing Gun Violence in America presents compelling evidence that stronger purchasing laws and better enforcement of these laws result in lower gun violence. Additional material for this edition includes an introduction by Michael R. Bloomberg and Consensus Recommendations for Reforms to Federal Gun Policies from the Johns Hopkins University.
After the police broke into Martin Bryant's house, a journalist followed them, mentally recording the details she was going to present to the public. The house was neat & fairly normal, except for one room where some magazines were lying on a table, in between two empty chairs. For the past hours, the journalist's imagination had been building a picture of the madman, his childhood and possible motives.The entire media and police juggernaut that was gaining momentum was predicated on the assumption that he had acted alone. *** But if that was true, who had been sitting in the second empty chair? This explosive thriller takes a closer look at Australia's defining massacre, using witness statements and court documents to produce a coherent, plausible narrative that includes more facts than the prosecution case. Anyone familiar with ""Making A Murderer"" will be captivated and horrified by the details of this story, and how the popular media narrative has deviated from the facts.