I beg to differ.
If Australians want to own guns, they own guns. It really only seems to be Americans who think this country is gun free.
1. Gun culture, gun clubs, gun ranges, gun hobbies, gun shops, gunsmithing.... just don't exist here in any number; its almost totally a rural hunting thing. Gun magazines are pretty low circulation. Many Aussie urban men have been in the armed services and know how to use rifles and handguns... as do police service and security people... but still, there's no big lobby group, no concealed-carry culture such as is necessary in urban USA.
Yarn alert/vanity: the similarities between the USA and Aust are well known by me as a Rotarian: I have attended Aust-American Friendship Society stuff here etc. One of the proportional societal differences is the USA level of crime.
A few years ago now (late 90s) a visit to a big city in the southern states for a 3 man 20s something team of those Rotary Exchange Study Groups went well in large part. The hosts -right from the airport carpark- displayed handguns stowed away in the SUV, at home under jackets, behind backs, and on ankles (typically)... with complete nonchalance. That was not showing off and just rampant machismo, it was just mentioned in passing.... its no big deal... "You're welcome and you're in safe hands" stuff 's all. The fortnight or so they were there, this city had 9 murders in the 'papers... but it didnt rate a mention from the locals... it was normal background to the city. There was also some racial-prejudice problem from the members too (very unusual in Rotary circles)... and in one oafish instance the Aussie guests spat the dummy and left the function in support of one of their number.
2. The article is very good but, like all the pundits, skips around "the elephant in the middle of the room": the baby boomers demographic are aging: they're now more adult, more experienced (read more immune to spin), and more family-concious-slash-conservative in world-view. Perhaps the only lifelong lefties still around are those indoctrinated/radicalised at the Gramsci-set piece colleges.