THE 1996 massacre at Port Arthur, Tasmania, of 35 Australians by convicted killer Martin Bryant was front and centre on Thursday morning at the National Museum of Australia.

An event to mark the donation of correspondence between then Prime Minister John Howard and Walter Mikac, whose wife Nanette and young daughters Alannah and Madeline were among the victims, saw a rare moment of bipartisanship.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese joined Opposition Leader Peter Dutton on the podium at the National Museum, before a large group of media and invited guests from the Alannah and Madeline Foundation and the Australian Gun Safety Alliance.

Albanese, who spoke to Howard on Thursday morning, passed on the apologies of the former PM, who “had a bit of a tummy upset.”

Albanese said the correspondence between Howard and Mikac had impelled swift national reform on gun control, noting that today’s event took place only days after a meeting of all police ministers agreed on a National Firearms Register, proposals for which will be put to cabinet in July.

He outlined the content of the first letter, penned by Mikac in blue biro and transmitted by fax, which he said gave strength to the PM to act.

That Mikac had done so in the glare of the national spotlight at a time of grieving was extraordinary.

“To his unending credit he did precisely that, and I honour him today,” said Albanese.

He also noted the support of then opposition leader Kim Beazley and leader of the Nationals, the late Tim Fischer, who had asserted what was right, even in the face of hostility from his own base.

He told those present he was proud to be a patron of the Alannah and Madeline Foundation, as all PMs had been since the massacre.

Mikac told those present that he still remembers the abyss he felt back in 1996, but said his decision to write to Howard was a reminder, “if you have a burning desire to change things, it’s possible.”

While believing that “as a nation we should be incredibly proud,” Mikac cautioned that there was still violence in Australia, evident from recent events in Alice Springs.

Dutton, representing Howard, whose shoes he admitted were big ones to fill, praised the bipartisanship of the time, but singled out Howard, describing his actions on gun laws as “the greatest single defining aspect of his leadership.”

Like Mikac, he noted that there was still work to do, evident from the December killings of two police officers in his home state, Queensland.

“There is a need for constant vigilance,” he said.

The Howard-Mikac letters will be on public display in the Gandel Atrium, National Museum of Australia, until July 16.