What we learned, Wednesday 17 December
That’s where we’ll leave you this evening. Here’s a snapshot of the events of today:
Alleged Bondi gunman Naveed Akram, who survived a shootout with police, has been charged with 59 offences, including 15 counts of murder and terrorism charges, after waking from his coma on Tuesday.
As at 7.30pm tonight, there were 17 people still receiving care in Sydney hospitals for injuries sustained in Sunday’s shooting.
Funerals for victims of the shooting began today, including that of Rabbi Eli Schlanger.
Waverley Council has cancelled New Year’s Eve events at Bondi beach “due to the current situation on the ground”.
NSW parliament will be recalled on Monday 22 and Tuesday 23 December to consider new, tougher firearm legislation.
The NSW premier, Chris Minns, has also flagged his intention to tighten laws around protests, raising civil liberties concerns.
Former Liberal MP Josh Frydenberg has claimed Anthony Albanese should accept personal responsibility for the deaths on Sunday.
The Nationals leader, David Littleproud, has pushed back on proposed changes to gun laws, saying Australia’s “gun laws work”
Jack Hibbert, a probationary constable injured during the Bondi shooting, has lost sight in one eye after being shot in the head while trying to save people on the beach.
The Australian National Imams Council, as the highest Islamic and religious authority in Australia, together with its member imams and religious leaders, unequivocally condemned Islamic State and the attackers.
Thanks for your company today. We’ll be back with you again early tomorrow morning. In the meantime, please look after yourselves, your loved ones and your communities.
Updated
‘He has the impulse to protect people’: Ahmed al-Ahmed’s father praises son in interview
In an interview aired on BBC radio, the father of Ahmed al-Ahmed, who wrestled and disarmed one of the alleged gunmen on Sunday, noted through a translator that his son had a police and security background:
My son is a hero. He served with the police and in the central security forces, and he has the impulse to protect people. When he saw people lying on the ground, and the blood everywhere. Immediately his conscience is so compelled him to pounce on one of the terrorists and to rid him of his weapon. I feel pride and honour because my son is a hero of Australia.
Updated
Latest update on injured victims
The latest update from NSW Health is in: there are 17 patients receiving care in several Sydney hospitals for their injuries sustained in the attack at Bondi on Sunday.
As of 7.30pm, Wednesday 17 December:
One patient is in a stable condition at Prince of Wales hospital.
One patient is in a critical but stable condition and one patient is in a stable condition at St George hospital.
Three patients are in a critical but stable condition and one patient is in a stable condition at St Vincent’s hospital.
One patient is in a critical condition and four patients are stable at Royal Prince Alfred hospital.
One patient is in a stable condition at Sydney children’s hospital, Randwick.
Three patients are in a stable condition at Royal North Shore hospital.
One patient is in a stable condition at Liverpool hospital.
Updated
Following on from the previous post, Anthony Albanese’s speech continued:
There was pure evil at Bondi last Sunday. Yet even in that moment, we were given proof that evil will never overcome the courage, decency, compassion and kindness of Australians that is central to the character of who we are.
Our nation is stronger than the cowards who seek to divide us. The spirit of the country that we have built together will always be greater than those who seek to [break] it. We are braver than the people who try to make us afraid. We will not be intimidated. We will come together as we are this evening, and we will come through this together.
Friends, this sacred place is where I learned about the love and the compassion of Christ. I commenced school here in year 5, and for the next eight years, I was nurtured here as a student, as a boy maturing into a young man and as an altar boy in the church behind us … I was raised to believe in the duty we owe to the vulnerable, not as a question of charity, but as the measure of our common humanity.
When we go in peace today, let us carry the hope of this place in our hearts. For those of us celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ in just over one week, let us live up to his example of love to our neighbours. Let us wrap our arms around the Jewish community, and with our words and deeds, make it clear you are Australian, and all Australians stand with you, no matter which faith we worship or whether we have no faith at all, we stand with Jewish Australians.
You have every right to worship and study and work and live in peace and safety. You have every right to be proud of who you are and proud of the remarkable contribution that your community has made to Sydney and to modern Australia over generations. Sunday was a dark day for our nation. Tonight, as we illuminate this cathedral, let us ensure that Australia remains a land of light, a nation blessed and enriched and strengthened and inspired by everything and in the days ahead, may your faith comfort you, may it sustain you, may it lift you up and surround you with the love and nurture of others.
Updated
‘We grieve for the light and laughter and strength and comfort’: PM speaks at multi-faith service
My colleague Kelly Burke has been listening to the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, speak at the multifaith memorial service being held at St Mary’s Cathedral tonight in Sydney.
Here’s the first part of his speech:
Tonight, as we gather in one iconic Sydney location, we mourn the devastation inflicted at another. At this cathedral dedicated to our Catholic faith, we grieve for all those who were killed affirming their faith, Jewish Australians deliberately targeted on the first night of Hanukah, as they came together at that beautiful place to renew their hope, their resilience, their belief in the power of light, the darkness of terror and antisemitism was passed upon them.
Our prayers this evening are for the souls of the innocent people whose lives were so cruelly and violently stolen away at Bondi beach that Sunday evening. We pray with those who we knew and loved, including, I know, the family of Rabbi Eli who was farewelled today, everyone who has lost the centre of their universe, the love of their life, their pride and joy, we grieve for the light and laughter and strength and comfort that so many have lost. We grieve with everyone who would have shared in their happiness.
We pray that those being treated for their injuries recover, we reflect with gratitude on the bravery and skill of the police and first responders who saved lives, and we offer our thanks for the courage and selflessness of everyday Australians; people who, in a moment of deadly danger, did not hesitate to run to the aid of strangers, to shield, shelter or comfort people fleeing in fear.
Ordinary people demonstrating extraordinary courage, including the remarkable actions of Ahmed al-Ahmed, who put himself in the line of fire, wrestling a gun away from one of the shooters. People he has never met owe him their lives.
We pray for the souls of Boris and Sophia Burman and Reuven Morrison, murdered while bravely protecting others. Our nation owes them and all the heroes of Bondi a profound debt of gratitude, not just for their bravery, but also for their example, for reminding us that at the worst of times, we see the best of the Australian character.
Updated
Frydenberg says questions surrounding Bondi shooting not ‘sufficiently answered’
Asked if he was calling for a royal commission into the events in Bondi, Frydenberg says there are questions that haven’t been “sufficiently answered”.
How did these people get guns? How were they radicalised? How were they trained overseas? How did they escape the eyes of our authorities? Why was there only three police protecting 1,000 Jewish people in an open [area] at Bondi at a time when concerns have been heightened and the security environment is worrying?
Those are practical needs that need to be answered, but also, what were the warning signs over the last two-and-a-half years?
What could have been done that wasn’t done to tackle the preachers, to tackle the protesters, to improve our immigration stances, to deal with our universities, to respond … [to the] special envoy on antisemitism’s report, which has been with [Albanese] for 150 days?
We need to understand those things, but we need a road map for going forward. A legislative framework so that we actually take action … across all aspects of the society to ensure that Australian citizens are safe again in their own country.
Updated
Frydenberg claims pro-Palestine protests created a ‘radicalised community’
Former federal treasurer and Liberal MP Josh Frydenberg has been speaking to ABC’s 7.30 after his comments today in which he claimed the prime minister was personally responsible for the attack on Sunday.
You can read more about Frydenberg’s comments here:
Host Sarah Ferguson has asked Frydenberg to “lay out carefully” what it is he believes Albanese personally failed to do that contributed to the attack, knowing what we know now.
Frydenberg responds by referring to the pro-Palestine protests, and wraps them in with acts of antisemitism including a childcare centre that was set alight in January. He says:
All this occurred on the prime minister’s watch. These created in Australia a radicalised community upon which, not only have Jews been attacked, but all of Australia has been attacked.
Now the prime minister has been told repeatedly along the way that stronger action needed to be taken. Not just to ban the preachers, but also to ban these radical Islamic organisations which are banned in the UK, banned in Germany, banned in moderate Muslim states, but … not banned in Australia. To prosecute and to prosecute those who are creating all this intimidation and hate and incitement to violence, to do more at our universities, to do more in our arts sectors, to better fund security.
Updated
PM to address crowd outside St Mary’s Cathedral in Sydney
Police have closed College Street for a gathering of about 2,000 people outside St Mary’s Cathedral in Sydney, where the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, is about to address the crowd.
NSW Premier Chris Minns is also at the memorial.
Updated
The quiet bricklayer, his father and a leave of absence: the duo accused of killing 15 people in Bondi
It was late June in 2019, and a 17-year-old Naveed Akram was standing outside Bankstown train station in Sydney’s west, earnestly extolling the virtues of prayer.
He was working with young men performing street dawah, a form of outreach in which the ultimate goal is to convert passersby to Islam.
Over the next few months, Akram turned 18, finished a vocational training course and started an apprenticeship as a bricklayer – his first and only proper job. And, according to police, he came under investigation by the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation.
This appears to be the only time either Akram or his father, Sajid, came to the attention of authorities before allegedly carrying out the worst terrorist attack in Australian history. On Wednesday, police charged the younger man with 59 offences, including 15 counts of murder, and one count of committing a terrorist act. They allege the evidence points to the attack being “inspired” by Islamic State.
Read the full story here:
Updated
At Bondi Pavilion tonight, Sussan Ley has addressed a crowd of about 2,000 gathered for the lighting of the menorah at the scene of Sunday’s tragedy.
“The time for words is finished,” she told the crowd:
The time for action was two years ago, for our government to stand strong in the face of Jewish hatred. The time to stand firm against hate speech and a radical Islam was two years ago. Yet here we are.
Updated
A Jewish bakery in Sydney run by a celebrity chef has closed – apparently for good – after the Bondi beach terror attack, with a message posted on the shop’s window saying it can no longer ensure the safety of its staff and customers.
Avner’s Bakery, a prominent Jewish bakery in Surry Hills run by celebrity chef Ed Halmagyi closed after Sunday’s massacre at a gathering to celebrate the Jewish festival of Hanukah.
“Closed today, closed forever,” a man – who did not give his name – said outside the shop on Wednesday morning.
A notice on the bakery’s window on Wednesday morning from “Ed and the Avner’s team” said the “world had changed, our world has changed”.
Read the full story here:
Updated
Ley claims security agencies under-resourced
The opposition leader, Sussan Ley, has claimed security agencies face “resourcing issues” as the Coalition prepares to demand further reforms to fight antisemitism.
Ley flagged greater resourcing for intelligence agencies at a meeting of her newly formed taskforce on antisemitism, extremism and counter-terrorism on Wednesday afternoon.
Earlier on Wednesday, Ley had told reporters there were “genuine concerns” about agency capabilities after Josh Frydenberg said the organisations had failed Jewish Australians. Ley said:
There are genuine questions that have been asked and I focus on the resourcing of our incredible agencies because they do a remarkable job under very difficult circumstances and we value them and they are the best in the world. They need to be properly resourced.
Ley embraced Frydenberg when she arrived at Bondi. People attending the memorial site applauded the former treasurer and some asked him to return to politics, to which he said:
Sussan’s doing an amazing job. We’ll see.
Ley and five Coalition frontbenchers, who along with Michaelia Cash constitute the taskforce, spoke to Jewish community leaders in Bondi before their afternoon meeting. They were scheduled to meet with Jillian Segal, the Albanese government’s antisemitism envoy, later on Wednesday.
Updated
Bondi beach starts to slowly reopen
By late afternoon on the third day since the Bondi beach shootings, the frantic rhythm of the tragedy has slowed to a heavy, hollow routine. Along Campbell Parade, most cafes, restaurants and retailers have resumed their trade, the standard crawl of traffic has returned.
Shortly after 5pm, police remove the crime scene tape cordoning off the area of the park fronting Bondi Pavilion where most of the victims fell. The footbridge from when the gunmen stood on Sunday evening, claiming the lives of 15 people, remains screened off to the public with black plastic forensic sheets.
Balloons and toys have been added to the sprawling floral tribute outside the pavilion, remembering the tragedy’s youngest victim, 10-year-old Matilda.
By mid-afternoon the crowd had dwindled to about 100, but as dusk approaches, the site slowly fills again, people anticipating the lighting of the menorah standing at the head of the tribute for the third evening.
Among them is Daniel Sherrell, a Waverley member of the Jewish community who moved to Australia from the US three years ago.
On Sunday, he was still processing early reports that his alma mater Brown University had come under attack, the gunman killing two students and wounding nine others, when he heard what had just happened in Bondi. At dinner with his partner in Surry Hills, he received text messages from former fellow students now on staff at the Rhode Island university assuring Sherrell they were unharmed. Then suddenly they took a different turn.
He says:
My phone just began blowing up with messages, people in the US wanting to know if I was the one who was OK. That’s when I found out what had happened.
Sherrell, an organiser of an informal Muslim-Jewish dialogue circle in Sydney, says his Muslim friends were among the first to reach out with condolences, a testament to the “mutual humanisation” they have spent two years building in each other’s living rooms across the city.
He says:
I think there are clearly a lot of people trying to claw the two communities apart on both sides. And the bigger the gap there is between the two communities – that’s where that hate comes from. From out of that gap.
Updated
Two fundraisers set up for police officers critically injured in Sunday’s attack
NSW Police Legacy has set up fundraisers for the two police officers who were seriously wounded during Sunday’s terror attack.
A fundraiser for constable Scott Dyson says the officer, who is 25, remains in the ICU in a serious but stable condition “with his family by his side around the clock”. The full extent of his injuries is yet to be determined.
He is widely known as one of the nicest guys around, and this awful incident has been made all the harder to bear given that Scott has recently discovered that he is to become a dad with his partner.
A fundraiser for probationary constable Jack Hibbert notes the officer is also in the ICU in a serious but stable condition, with his family by his side. The 22-year-old only joined the police force four months ago, but despite this, “he responded with courage and selflessness, continuing to help others even after his injuries”.
This fundraiser will help Jack move forward with the many challenges he now has ahead of him.
All donations are tax deducible.
Updated
Tony Abbott says government needs to ‘lift its game’ at Bondi memorial
Former prime minister Tony Abbott has visited the memorial at Bondi Pavilion, echoing the sentiments of his former colleague Josh Frydenberg who visited the site earlier today.
Abbott said:
I’m here in grief for the victims, I’m here in solidarity with Jewish Australians. But most of all, I’m here in anger at the stain on our nation’s soul that this atrocity represents.
Abbott said the Albanese government needed to shoulder its share of responsibility for growing antisemitism in Australia:
I am, frankly, not proud of our government at the moment. I think it’s a government that’s played politics with people’s lives all too often in recent times, and I think we need a government that stands up for Australia.
Abbott said it was “shameful” that for the past two years, Jewish people have been made to feel like outsiders in their own country.
I do think that this government needs to lift its game. I’m appalled that breaches of violence have not been prosecuted. None of these hate marches have been banned. We’ve seen far too much hand wringing evidenced by government at all levels.
Abbott said more stringent work needed to be done establishing potential immigrants’ commitment to Australian values.
I really do think we need to take a long, hard look at ourselves. I think we’ve got to be far more insistent on Australian values amongst people who are here, certainly amongst people who want to come here. I think we’ve got to take the words of the citizenship oath about democratic process, respect for laws we will uphold and obey – we’ve got to take that far more seriously. It can’t just be said, it’s got to be meant. It’s got to be lived.
Updated
More on the charges against Naveed Akram
Further to Jordyn’s post just now on the charges now faced by alleged gunman Naveed Akram: a statement from NSW police includes some further details of the charges laid by the Joint Counter Terrorism Team.
The 59 offences that Akram faces include:
Commit terrorist act
15 counts of murder
40 counts of cause wounding/grievous bodily harm to person with intent to murder
Discharge firearm etc intend cause grievous bodily harm
Cause public display of prohibited terrorist org symbol
Place explosive in/near building with intent cause harm
Police will allege in court the man engaged in conduct that caused death, serious injury and endangered life to advance a religious cause and cause fear in the community, the statement said.
It continued:
Early indications point to a terrorist attack inspired by ISIS, a listed terrorist organisation in Australia.
Akram remains in hospital under police guard and will face court via video link today.
Updated
Alleged shooter Naveed Akram charged with 59 offences, including terror charge
The alleged Bondi attacker who survived a shootout with police has been charged with 59 offences, including 15 counts of murder, after waking from his coma on Tuesday.
New South Wales police charged the 24-year-old man on Wednesday, after he was arrested at the scene of the incident and taken to a Sydney hospital with critical injuries on Sunday night. The matter was due to be heard in court on Wednesday afternoon.
Among the 59 offences confirmed by court staff are one count of committing a terrorist act, 40 counts of wounding with intent to murder, one count of placing an explosive in or near a building, a charge of discharging a firearm with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, and a charge of publicly displaying a terrorist symbol.
Naveed Akram and his father, 50-year-old Sajid Akram, had allegedly opened fire on those attending an event to mark the start of an eight-day Hanukah festival at Bondi beach on Sunday.
Police have alleged that Sajid – who was shot dead by officers at the scene – had legally obtained the guns used in the attack.
The mass shooting resulted 15 people being killed by the alleged attackers, including a 10-year-old child. Another 20 people remained in hospital with injuries on Wednesday.
Updated
The chief executive of Australia Post, Paul Graham, has issued a statement following the death of Sofia Gurman, who worked at Bondi Junction post office, and her husband Boris.
The couple were killed while trying to stop gunman Sajid Akram on Campbell Parade in Bondi as he emerged from his car. In footage posted to Chinese social media platform Rednote, Boris appears to push Akram onto the road and wrestle a gun from his hands. Sofia was also involved in the confrontation.
Graham says the couple “showed extraordinary courage in trying to protect others”. He went on:
Sofia was deeply loved by her colleagues and community at Bondi Junction Post Office. She will be remembered especially for the true care she showed for her colleagues and customers – often she would race from out the back just for the chance to greet and ask after them even when someone else was serving that customer.
She always had a hug and a listening ear for her fellow team members, and they tell us her kindness and warmth will never be forgotten. Our thoughts are with their family as they grieve this unimaginable loss.
He said the actions of Sofia and Boris and other ordinary Australians who stepped forward to help others “remind us of the strength that comes from unity and kindness.”
The latest from NSW health authorities on injured victims
There are currently 20 people receiving care in Sydney hospitals for injuries sustained in Sunday’s shooting, according to the latest update from NSW Health.
As of 4pm, Wednesday 17 December:
One patient is in a stable condition at Prince of Wales hospital.
One patient is in a critical but stable condition and one patient is in a stable condition at St George hospital.
One patient is in a stable condition at Sydney eye hospital.
Three patients are in a critical condition but stable condition and one patient is in a stable condition at St Vincent’s hospital.
One patient is in a critical condition and four patients are stable at Royal Prince Alfred hospital.
Two patients are in a stable condition at Sydney children’s hospital, Randwick.
Three patients are in a stable condition at Royal North Shore hospital.
Two patients are in a stable condition at Liverpool hospital.
Updated
‘Now is not the time to restrict our civil liberties’: NSW Greens express concern over Minns’s flagged anti-protest laws
The NSW Greens say they have “grave concerns” about proposed new laws to further restrict public demonstrations when terrorism events are declared, as flagged by the premier, Chris Minns, at a press conference earlier this afternoon.
The Greens’ justice spokesperson, Sue Higginson, said this afternoon:
In the aftermath of the horrific antisemitic Bondi Beach mass shooting, Australians have been called upon to unify, to wrap our arms around the Jewish community, and to check in on one another, and we must all heed those calls.
We have not been called upon to divide communities by infringing upon civil liberties. Peaceful assembly is a fundamental civil liberty and now is not the time to restrict our civil liberties. The Government should not do this.
If the Government is hell bent on doing this they must at the very least make such powers temporary, otherwise this move will be read in history as disingenuous opportunism.
There is such an important distinction to make between peaceful and nonviolent protests for peace, and gatherings with the express intention of hate speech, hate preaching, or violence. Police have so many tools at their disposal to address gatherings where hate speech may occur, and they should use those tools.
Higginson said the NSW government had the chance to pass “world-leading gun reform” with their help, and it would was “such a shame to depart from that by assigning blame to peaceful protests in this moment.”
Higginson continued:
I hold serious concerns that controversial changes to protest laws are counter-productive to the aims of genuine social cohesion right now. These laws, like other anti-protest laws before them, seem to me like they will face significant headwinds in the Courts due to their potential to infringe on our freedom of political communication within the Constitution.
Our protest laws are already some of the most restrictive in the world … I think the Premier’s assumption that a disrespectful demonstration could occur is out of step with the outpouring of respect, love and compassion we have seen from the people of New South Wales.
Updated
Albanese ‘betrayed Jewish Australians’ and ‘failed’ Matilda, parents say
The parents of Matilda, the 10-year-old girl killed in Sunday’s attack, have said Anthony Albanese betrayed Jewish Australians and failed the victims at Bondi beach.
Matilda’s mother, Valentyna, was asked how she felt about the federal government’s response to antisemitism. She told reporters:
It’s a nightmare, they failed my daughter, yes, that’s right, and everyone who was there, they failed every victim.
Matilda’s father, Michael, then interjected – “let’s not get political, please” – to which Valentyna replied: “No, it’s OK, it’s OK, people should know.”
Michael then criticised Anthony Albanese and his focus on gun reform in the wake of Bondi’s shooting:
He really betrayed Jewish people of Australia … [People] firebombed synagogues and it was just little steps: ‘oh no, no, nothing wrong, nothing wrong’.
He wants stringent laws on weapons, but I tell you what, if at least half of those people who were there, the Jews, had their weapons with them, had their guns, maybe that shooting would have stopped a bit earlier. I’m not really crazy pro-guns, stuff like that, but not even security have any guns. In Australia, Jews, not Jews, everyone is defenceless. I’m not talking about guns, but every [defence], stuff like capsicum spray, it’s all illegal, you can’t protect yourself, and criminals don’t care about the law.
The couple’s conversation with reporters focused on their daughter, her personality and their efforts to find and save her. Before leaving, Michael said:
I hope you don’t take our words out of context … This is about Matilda.
Updated
Matilda’s parents detail their experience of Sunday’s shooting
Matilda had attended the Bondi Hanukah event every year since she was born, with her parents and sometimes her grandparents as well. On Sunday in Bondi park, she and her sister left her parents sitting down at the event to visit the petting zoo.
Valentyna told reporters:
We heard the shots but we thought maybe [it was] a joke, or fireworks … I didn’t realise it’s serious and then my husband shouts ‘it’s shooter, it’s shooter.’
The couple ran in different directions searching for their children. Michael found his daughter:
I saw her go down, and I crawled to her, took my shirt off and put it on her wound … She was telling me it’s hard to breathe and I was holding her and I was like, ‘calm down, please, please, please,’ … The shooting would just not stop [and] there was no cops, and for 10 minutes it felt like for ever.
Another woman had found Matilda’s sister, Summer, and hugged her as the massacre unfolded, Michael said. Lifesavers and strangers ran to his side to help Matilda when the shooting stopped, including a doctor and a paramedic wearing their bathing suits.
The couple left Summer with a friend to hide in their apartment as Matilda was taken in an ambulance, before police stopped Michael from taking his car to follow her. They were left worrying about both their daughters, unable to check on Summer as their friend’s phone had stopped working, and reunited later.
Updated
New Year’s Eve events at Bondi beach cancelled
Waverley Council has made the decision to cancel New Year’s Eve events at Bondi beach “due to the current situation on the ground”, a council spokesperson has confirmed.
The cancelled events include the ticketed Elrow XXL Bondi concert at Bondi Pavilion and the free family-focused Locals Lawn.
The producer of the ticketed event, Fuzzy, is expected to make contact with affected ticketholders.
Updated
10-year-old Matilda's mother returns to Bondi Pavilion memorial
Matilda, the 10-year-old victim of Sunday’s attack, has been remembered by her parents, returning to Bondi Pavilion ahead of the girl’s funeral at midday tomorrow.
Matilda was a “beautiful soul” who loved dancing and playing with her friends and her sister, Summer, her mother, Valentyna, said. She told reporters:
She thought she will be [a] teacher. She loved maths and she always said: ‘I will be [a] teacher.’
Valentyna said she had brought her son with her from Ukraine and lived in Melbourne for four years, then moved to Sydney when she met her partner, Michael, Matilda’s and Summer’s father.
Summer was not with her parents on Tuesday afternoon but at home wearing purple, like her mother, in memory of her sister’s favourite colour.
Michael told reporters:
You’re not going to find a person who said she’s done something mean or done something bad.
Updated
Early this morning we brought you the story of a vigil from Bondi swimmers for the victims of Saturday’s attack.
Here’s some more of that story, with beautiful footage to boot:
Pro-Palestine phrase ‘could become a test case’ for Victoria’s new hate speech laws, police commissioner says
The Victorian police commissioner, Mike Bush, also attended the premier’s meeting of multifaith leaders, which he described as “really powerful”. He says since the state’s anti-vilification laws passed Victorian parliament earlier this year, there have been 40 investigations into hate speech.
However, he says “globalise the intifada”, a phrase used by pro-Palestinian activists, which has been criticised by Jewish groups as promoting violence, was not considered hate speech under the laws.
Bush says:
We have considered it very closely. At the moment, we’re considering it not quite, quite at that level [of hate speech], but I’d really be interested to understand from the judiciary. So at some point, it could become a test case.
Bush says since Sunday there have been 560 police visits to Jewish religious and community sites “to ensure that we’re visible, that we’re preventing any further harm, but we’re really there to reassure people that we are here for them.”
You can catch up on the background to Victoria’s anti-vilification laws here:
Updated
Wong thanks New Zealanders for outpouring of support after Bondi attack
The foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, has spoken to her New Zealand counterpart, Winston Peters, thanking Kiwis for the outpouring of support after Sunday’s Bondi beach shooting.
The pair spoke of the close ties between Australia and New Zealand, and Wong welcomed the ongoing engagement between government agencies in both countries, which she recognised will be invaluable at this time.
Wong said:
Australia is touched by the outpouring of support from the New Zealand people. I am grateful to them and to the New Zealand government for their solidarity at this time.
Australia and New Zealand share a uniquely close relationship. Our ongoing engagement will be invaluable as we work together to stamp out antisemitism and stop the spread of hate.
Updated
Victorian religious leaders did not raise any concerns about protests, Allan says
The Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, and police minister, Anthony Carbines, said they would push their federal counterparts to introduce similar anti-vilification laws to the ones that passed Victorian parliament earlier this year.
Allan says:
There is no doubt that hate doesn’t stop at the Murray River or the South Australian border, and particularly in a globalised environment … where conflict overseas brings conflict to our streets, where we’ve seen the dissemination of information and indeed misinformation that moves around the world quicker than ever before, that we do need to look at the strengthening of laws to stamp out this behaviour.
Allan was asked whether multifaith leaders had raised with her concerns about protests in the CBD making members of the Jewish community feel unsafe. The NSW premier, Chris Minns, flagged changes to the laws around protests to prevent them from occurring following a declaration of terrorism.
Allan says protests didn’t come up during her meeting with the multifaith leaders:
That issue did not come up specifically. But what did come up was the need … to understand why things that are said on the streets are hurtful, which is why we need to provide education. So that was the focus of our discussion today.
She did, however, say she would look closely at NSW’s proposed gun law changes and was open to emulating them in Victoria. Allan says:
Whilst parliament has concluded for 2025, it does recommence on 3 February, which is only about six or seven weeks away. So we do have a sitting scheduled in early February. But if there is the opportunity to act before that, we will.
Updated
Victorian government exploring ‘range of options’ to tighten gun laws
The Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, has held a press conference after a meeting with multifaith groups this morning. She says she’s committed to holding regular meetings with the group, to share information across communities and work to “build the fabric of social cohesion”.
She says:
What we are dealing with is an incredibly complex set of circumstances where there is no quick fix or simple answers. But along with these community leaders and government representatives, we are determined to continue to join together, to show up to events, to show support, but also understand the responsibility with our leadership positions to act.
She was also joined by the police minister, Anthony Carbines, who had attended a separate meeting of federal, state and territory police ministers earlier today.
Carbines says the group were working through a “range of options” to strengthen the nation’s gun laws and ensure they are consistent across the country:
Examples of that include limiting the number of firearms to be held by any one individual, the condition of firearm licences holding Australian citizenship. There was a recommitment in prioritising the development of the national firearms register, including the provision of resources to accelerate that as much as possible, there was a condemnation of the senseless terrorist incident and the tragic loss of life, and also praise for the bravery the community members, law enforcement and first responders.
Updated
NSW likely to ban anyone owning more than five guns
Just circling back to a comment from the NSW premier, Chris Minns, in that press conference earlier today that underlines his commitment to the state passing the toughest gun laws in the country.
When asked how many guns per licence would be allowed under the new regime, he said:
I don’t have a final number. It’s still the subject of internal deliberations. But certainly Western Australia is leading the country at five. But I think that’s too many.
One of the two alleged terrorists, Sajid Akram, was the registered owner of six firearms, acquired over a two-year period since he was granted his licence in 2023.
Four of the weapons, including a shotgun and long-range rifles, were recovered from the scene in Bondi, with two others found during subsequent police raids.
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Firefighter killed by fallen tree in south-west WA
Just briefly on news elsewhere, a 34-year-old man has died after a tree fell on his vehicle after he had been helping with bushfire response, Western Australian police have advised.
WA police said in a statement:
About 8.10pm on Tuesday, 16 December 2025 police were advised that a tree had fallen on a vehicle in Mindarabin within the Shire of Gnowangerup.
The driver – a 34-year-old man – was part of a local farmer response unit and had earlier been assisting local firefighters responding to a large bushfire in the area.
As his vehicle was travelling along Old Ongerup Road, a tree fell onto the vehicle, crushing the cab. Sadly, he sustained critical injuries and died at the scene.
His death is not being treated as suspicious, and police will prepare a report for the Coroner.
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Victorian multifaith groups issue ‘statement of unity and solidarity’
The Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, has held a meeting of multifaith leaders this morning following the Bondi attack, with the group issuing a joint statement of “unity and solidarity”.
The statement from the group, which included the premier and Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh and Christian groups, said:
We are horrified by the antisemitic terror attack on innocent families celebrating Hanukkah. We extend our deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of the victims of this atrocity, to the Jewish community across Australia, and to the people of Sydney. We also applaud those from all backgrounds and walks of life who responded with such bravery and courage, and who will continue to do so over the coming months to help people recover.
The group said they were committed to “not let evil tear us apart”:
We call on all Victorians – whoever you are, whatever faith you follow – to join us. Now is the time for us to come together, focus on our shared values, and reject division. It is up to all of us to contribute to a Victoria that we can all feel safe in and be proud of.
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NSW police partially reopen Bondi roads
Road access around Bondi beach has been partially reopened this afternoon. NSW Police had cordoned off a large area for crime scene investigations at Archer Park, Bondi Beach, along Queen Elizabeth Drive after the shooting on Sunday.
Police advised that some roads have opened to vehicles and public transport from 2pm today, as follows:
Northbound traffic will reopen on Campbell Parade, from the intersection of Queen Elizabeth Drive, where members of the public are able to access and remove their vehicles.
NSW Police continue to hold the crime scene and members of the public are unable to access the area.
Queen Elizabeth Drive will remain closed at the intersection of Campbell Parade.
All southbound traffic from Brighton Boulevarde to Beach Road will remain closed.
There will be no access from Wairoa Avenue onto Campbell Parade travelling south.
Further updates about the reopening of other roads, and collection of cars and property will be provided when available.
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AMA head says Bondi attack ‘personal and close to home’ for many NSW health workers
The Australian Medical Association’s NSW president, Dr Kathryn Austin, says the Bondi terror attack has had a profound impact on Sydney’s medical community, particularly Jewish clinicians and staff, describing it as “so personal and close to home for so many people”.
She said many Jewish doctors and health workers had already been expressing concern about rising antisemitism before the shooting:
One of the saddest things in all of this is that on top of how traumatising this is, is as the Jewish community has said, this is not a surprise to them.
There has been concerns raised about the rising level of antisemitism, and we’d seen that through antisemitic events over the last number of years.
Austin praised the response of the health system and staff, saying:
Major traumas are something we’re very well set up for and incredibly well trained for.
She said NSW hospitals have well established trauma escalation systems, drawing on lessons from previous tragic events including the Lindt cafe siege, the Bondi Junction stabbing, and the Covid-19 pandemic.
We have incredibly robust systems in New South Wales to be able to escalate in crises. There has been significant investment over the years in making sure patients go to the centre that can treat them, so no single hospital is overwhelmed.
She also praised the actions of bystanders, including lifeguards and members of the public who provided first aid before emergency services arrived.
It was incredibly important. People were bandaging, putting pressure on wounds and doing immediate first aid. And of course the emotional support, just people caring for people. The humanity we saw was incredible.
Austin said the scale of community blood donations in the hours that followed showed “huge goodwill” and desire to help. But she also acknowledged the deep distress within Sydney’s Jewish community.
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The Law Enforcement Conduct Commission (LECC) has confirmed it is monitoring the police investigation of Sunday’s terrorist attack at Bondi Beach, after being notified of a critical incident by NSW police on that date.
In a statement today, the LECC said:
The Commission is independently monitoring the police investigation of the critical incident under Part 8 of the Law Enforcement Conduct Commission Act 2016 to ensure public confidence in that investigation…
In accordance with the statutory scheme, the critical incident investigation is being conducted by the NSW Police Force. Until the NSW Police Force critical incident investigation has concluded, the Commission can only monitor that investigation, which it is currently doing in real-time.
The NSW Police Force are co-operating with the Commission’s real-time monitoring and are providing us with regular updates. To date, the way in which the critical incident investigation is being conducted by the NSW Police Force is consistent with the Commission’s expectations.
The Commission is not monitoring the police counter-terrorism investigation or criminal investigation which lie outside the Commission’s function.
The Commission will not make any further comment on the progress of the NSW Police Force investigation at this time.
NSW Greens flag support for stronger gun laws
Earlier today, the Greens flagged their support for stronger gun laws when NSW parliament is recalled next week.
The NSW Greens justice spokesperson, Sue Higginson, said in a statement:
The guns used to inflict the horrifying antisemitic killings and violence on Bondi Beach should never have been in the hands of the hate fuelled depraved shooters and the fact that they were, is a failing of our gun laws and their implementation.
The Premier has identified reforms to enable greater consideration of intelligence by police when licensing firearms. What he has not mentioned is that the Firearms Act already provides for consideration of criminal intelligence, but it has been limited in its application.
Police need to be able to undertake and rely upon a broad range of intelligence from all intelligence agencies when we are talking about gun safety.
The Greens stand willing to work with the Government and the Opposition to pass world-leading strong gun law reform through the NSW Parliament.
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Summary of latest press conference on the Bondi beach shootings
The press conference fronted by NSW premier, Chris Minns, and NSW police commissioner, Mal Lanyon, has ended there. To recap the main points:
The NSW government will recall parliament on Monday 22 and Tuesday 23 December to deal with what Minns described as “urgent legislation that we believe is required pre-Christmas to keep the community safe”.
The laws the government intend to pass include caps on the number of firearms people can hold, to reclassify straight shotguns, to prohibit belt-fed magazines and remove the NSW civil and administrative tribunal (Ncat) as an appeal mechanism.
Minns also intends to introduce new laws around protests when a terrorism declaration is made to prevent what he calls a “a combustible situation”.
Bondi beach and parkland will take a little longer than hoped to be reopened as the crime scene has taken longer to process than expected.
Police are waiting for alleged gunman Naveed Akram, who regained consciousness yesterday afternoon, to be in a fit state to understand any charges that may be laid against him.
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Minns points to priority for ‘successful prosecution’ over possibility of royal commission
The premier is asked about the possibility of a royal commission and how quickly one could be put together.
Minns responds:
Yeah, that’s a very fair question. We’re contemplating that at the moment. And we’ll have more to say soon. It’s not complicated, but the fact that there will be a criminal prosecution that will take place, charges are expected to be laid soon. … How it runs side by side with that, it’s something we need to consider. We need to take advice. I’ll just say this – this is hugely important – right now the priority for the police is a successful prosecution, for justice for the victims. And nothing can get in the way of that.
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Police waiting for alleged gunman, Naveen Akram, to be in ‘appropriate’ medical condition
NSW police commissioner, Mal Lanyon, says police are waiting for alleged gunman, Naveen Akram, to be in a fit state to understand any charges that may be laid before they do so.
Lanyon says:
We’re awaiting for his medical condition to be appropriate. It’s important he has appropriate cognitive ability. For his fairness, we need him to understand what is exactly happening.
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Minns says he is worried about ‘combustible situation and community harmony’
NSW premier, Chris Minns, has been asked about protests again, and says the proposed laws haven’t been worked out in great detail yet. He says:
In many cases, particularly in relation to restrictions on protests, there are constitutional issues. So it has to be drafted in a particular way. We have to be very clear about the designation and the reason for it. I’m being crystal clear about it. I’m worried about a combustible situation and community harmony. That’s the reason we would introduce this legislation. It’s begun, the drafting process has begun. But when it’s completed I’ll let you know.
He’s asked about the demonstrations, and the journalist notes that there has been “a lot of conflation that protests lead to violence because some chants are being said, yet the events on Sunday were not related to a protest at all”, and asks who the laws would be intended to target.
Minns responds:
We’re not going to target any particular group. This will be a blanket rule in place during a terrorism designation. We’ll be looking at form 1 applications. The police commissioner can’t, I can’t, no one can promise a group of people meeting on a street corner won’t go ahead. It’s not possible to do that. But we can promise the streets won’t be taken over with a mass demonstration that can lead to community disharmony and divisions that are very difficult to pull back together.
We’ve got a monumental task in front of us. It’s huge. We’ve got a grieving community, they’ve been targeted as a result of actions of someone else in our community. It’s a huge responsibility to pull the community together. I think we need a summer of calm and togetherness, not division. I know that there are concerns about issues around the world, but I’m worried about what is happening in Sydney right now.
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NSW police reviewing what kind of firearms police officers carry
Mal Lanyon says he is unable to confirm the identity of the police officer who shot the alleged offenders on Sunday, as the ballistics examinations haven’t been returned yet.
He also says they are reviewing police operational matters, including the kind of firearms police have access to day to day.
He describes it as so:
Historically New South Wales police operational officers have only used handguns, because our traditional form of contact that we’ve had where we’ve had to use our firearms has been in close quarters. What happened on Sunday has changed that dynamic. And it’s important as an organisation we consider everything to keep our officers and the community safe.
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Police hope to release crime scene at Bondi beach today
NSW police commissioner, Mal Lanyon, says the police had hoped to release the crime scene – that is, Bondi beach and the surrounding area – today, but said it had taken “longer to process” than they had hoped.
Lanyon says:
The crime scene will be returned from the homicide squad back to the police area command this afternoon. There’s a number of really important processes that need to be undertaken before it’s returned to the public.
The first is the Zakar, a Jewish religious process that will occur, then Fire and Rescue NSW process the crime scene. It’s really important that when we return the park and the surrounds to the public, the amenity they expect is there.
The last thing we want to do is to further traumatise members of the public. We’ll also offer families of those victims and those impacted directly the opportunity to walk through the scene should they wish to. As a mark of respect.
Lanyon appeals for calm, respect and peace in the wake of the incident. He refers to the premier’s foreshadowing of possible change to laws around protests, and continues:
The last thing we need in the community at the moment is division. So when the premier speaks about the activities that government are looking to introduce, it’s important to note they are supportive of community harmony. What we saw last Sunday is completely unacceptable. It’s not something that belongs in New South Wales and it’s not something that New South Wales police will tolerate.
We are committed to stand alongside the Jewish community of New South Wales, but every community. My commitment to you as commissioner is that we will be there to ensure your safety.
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NSW police commissioner, Mal Lanyon, is providing an update on the two injured police officers, probationary constable, Jack Hibbert, and constable, Scott Dyson.
Lanyon visited Hibbert this morning, and said:
Jack was awake. He’s a really positive young man, tragically we know he’s going to lose sight in one eye as a result of his injuries on the weekend. Jack is incredibly comforted by the knowledge that as his commissioner, I have given him an undertaking that we’ll support him. We will find appropriate duties for him, depending on the nature of that injury, and his capacity. His family wanted to say thank you to the many members of the community who have provided messages of support to them, and the overwhelming support of the blue family.
Constable Scott Dyson under went further surgery, he remains in a critical and stable condition. All of our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family. For both officers, it will be a long road to recovery.
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NSW premier flags changes to protest laws
Chris Minns has flagged changes to the laws around protests to prevent what he calls “a combustible situation”.
He says:
I also want to say today that I’m firmly of the view, having spoken with many community members, not just from the Jewish community, but right across Sydney, that protests right now in Sydney would be incredibly terrible for our community, in fact, they would rip apart our community. Particularly protests about international events.
I completely understand there’s people concerned about what is happening overseas, they have every right to be concerned. My worry is what is happening in Sydney right now. We’ll look at … my concern is that a mass demonstration in this combustible situation with our multicultural community could light a flame that would be impossible to extinguish.
So we’re looking at reforms whereby when there’s a terrorism designation in the state, the police commissioner may not accept applications for protests on the grounds it will both stretch police resources and secondly, add to community disharmony and as a result, a combustible situation in the state.
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NSW parliament called back next week to deal with ‘urgent legislation’ on gun control
The NSW premier, Chris Minns, is speaking now, announcing that the state government will call back the New South Wales parliament on 22 and 23 December to deal with what he described as “urgent legislation that we believe is required pre-Christmas to keep the community safe”.
Minns says:
We’re proposing a bill which hasn’t been finally drafted, but we’ll share with the opposition as soon as possible, to cap the number of firearms, to reclassify straight shotguns, look at prohibiting belt-fed magazines in those shotguns and crucially, removing [the NSW civil and administrative tribunal] as an appeal mechanism once a designation has been made about withdrawing a licence from the registered authority.
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Artist Peter Drew has revealed the latest poster in his “Aussie” series, which aims to get people thinking about national identity and immigration.
Frederick George Kimmel is the first Jewish person in the collection. Drew says he brought forward the launch of the design after the attack in Bondi, as a “small gesture of solidarity with Australia’s Jewish community”. The blurb on Kimmel reads:
Born in Vienna in 1925, Frederick George Kimmel was just 13 years old when his family migrated to Australia in 1938. He enlisted in the Royal Australian Air Force in 1943 at the age of 18 and served as a field mechanic. He died two years later in a military accident, just two months after the end of the war.
Read more about Drew’s work here:
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We’re expecting a press conference with the NSW premier, Chris Minns, and NSW Police to start shortly. We’ll bring you all those details as they come so stay tuned.
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Jewish Voices of Inner Sydney supports government’s gun control measures
Jewish Voices of Inner Sydney (JVOIS) has put out a statement, strongly supporting the Albanese government’s gun control measures.
Jesse McNicoll, spokesperson, Jewish Voices of Inner Sydney, said:
On Sunday, we saw dangerous firearms used to carry out a massacre against our community. We welcome the Albanese government prioritising practical measures to ensure community safety, including getting dangerous firearms off our streets and out of the hands of extremists.
The Bondi massacre would not have been possible without the shooters having access to dangerous, high-powered firearms. If we want to protect our community from future mass shootings, then we need to have tougher gun laws and end the practice of unrestrained suburban gun ownership
Our community can’t afford another culture war – the street marches for Palestine are not to blame for these attacks. We need practical measures that will actually keep Jews safe – harmonising laws between states, restricting the number of weapons owned per person, more frequently reviewing licences, and restricting gun ownership from extremists.
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Ley says Australia should ‘screen people who come to this country for antisemitism’
Speaking from Bondi just a moment ago, Sussan Ley has called for the “hideous people behind banners of listed terrorist organisations” who marched across Sydney Harbour Bridge in August to be “immediately deported”.
The opposition leader was joined by Nationals leader David Littleproud, Nationals senator Bridget McKenzie, Berowra MP Julian Leeser, shadow home affairs minister, Jonathon Duniam, and shadow finance minister, James Paterson, near the memorial site where they were greeted warmly. Our eagle eyes in the Canberra bureau spotted a familiar face standing in the background of the presser – controversial ex-Young LNP figure, Barclay McGain.
Ley spoke after Littleproud and Leeser, urging the Albanese government to take immediate action and deliver a roadmap for changes. Ley said those who joined the August marches, or were at the Sydney Opera House protest in October 2023, should be “immediately deported” if on a temporary visa.
I know that every fair-minded Australian, who looked at the hideous people behind banners of listed terrorist organisations marching across the bridge standing in front of the Opera House, and asked, ‘Are these people here on some sort of temporary visa?’ Because if they are, they need to be immediately deported,” she said to claps from the crowd.
Ley added there should be additional screening requirements to prevent people with antisemitic views from entering the country.
We should screen people who come to this country for antisemitism. We should understand, if people want to come to this country, this is the greatest gift in the world to come here.
Just ask the Jewish people who’ve come here for so many years, but to consider that we might have people coming here with Jewish hatred in their hearts, with an attack on our way of life that we hold so dear, that we value so greatly, and that we know cannot be compromised. Of course, we should find this out before people come here.
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And with that, I am going to hand you over to Stephanie Convery, who will take you through the rest of today.
Asked about John Howard criticising her personally for not visiting parts of Israel most directly affected by Hamas’ assault, Penny Wong said:
We have had Jewish Australians die, and we are seeing Australians grieve. So I’m not going to get into a political debate with the former prime minister.
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Wong has defended the prime minister, saying Albanese has “very clearly denounced antisemitism over the last two years”.
You’ve heard me and other cabinet ministers do the same. You’ve heard us talk about the importance of national unity. You’ve seen us bring forward legislation to criminalise hate speech.
You’ve seen us expel the Iranian ambassador. But I absolutely accept that more needs to be done. We all know that. More needs to be done across the whole community. And then, of course, what we also need is this investigation into these two individuals, who were prepared to kill Jewish Australians – that needs to be finalised.
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Penny Wong says the government has taken action on antisemitism – including banning hate speech and symbols.
We will look at all suggestions about what more can be done. I’d make the point on antisemitism, and I spoke on Sunday to Jillian Segal, the envoy, and she’s made a number of public comments, we have taken action that she recommended, such as criminalising hate speech.
And symbols, including the Nazi salute. We’ve taken action including my expulsion of the Iranian ambassador when it was clear that Iran had connections to the attack on a synagogue here in Australia. But we all know more needs to be done.
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Wong calls for country to ‘come together’, in response to Frydenberg comments
Penny Wong has just commented on Josh Frydenberg calling for the PM to ‘accept personal responsibility’ for the deaths in the Bondi terror attack.
She says:
What I would say is that this is a time that we need to come together. Because this attack was inspired by an ideology that is seeking to divide us. A radical, extreme view that seeks to divide our country. And so the most important thing we can do as a country is to come together.
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Sussan Ley queries resourcing of counterterrorism and intelligence agencies
Ley says questions need to be asked of intelligence agencies.
These are questions that need to be asked, and much of the reporting over the last few days has indicated that there are genuine concerns when it comes to the resourcing of our counterterrorism and intelligence agencies on our side of politics, we have always leaned in, this government has leaned out.
Asked if the Coalition was told about one of the gunmen going to Asia in 2019, when Scott Morrison was prime minister, she says she cannot comment on operational matters.
I simply repeat that there are genuine questions that have been asked, and I focus on the resourcing of our incredible agencies, because they do a remarkable job under very, very difficult circumstances, and we value them, and they are the best in the world. But they need to be properly resourced.
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The opposition leader, Sussan Ley, is speaking to the media at Bondi.
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Jim Chalmers continues:
My personal view is that we need to take very, very substantial steps to crack down on the way that firearms are held. I thought some of the directions that the prime minister set for the other leaders at the meeting on Monday, I thought they made a lot of sense, whether we are thinking about limits, whether we are thinking about citizens versus non-citizens, the fact that these licences shouldn’t be set and forget.
I thought that the prime minister, the leadership that he provided in that meeting on gun control was really important.
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Chalmers has been asked why the federal parliament is not being recalled to discuss gun laws.
These are extremely harrowing, horrifying acts of antisemitism, and the government takes them extremely seriously.
And the prime minister has said, I have said, Penny Wong, Richard Marles, Katy Gallagher, and we mean it, that we will take whatever steps [are] necessary, and the government’s singular focus this week has been on the additional steps that need to be taken.
Now, I wanted to say something about what I think is a fallacy in today’s commentary, including from people who should know better, this idea that we have to choose between either doing something about antisemitism or doing something about gun control. This is not an either-or.
We need to act on both fronts at once and that is what we are doing.
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The 13th victim of Bondi terror attack has been named
Boris Tetleroyd was at the Chanukah by the Sea event with his son, Yakov, when they were both shot.
Tetleroyd was killed while his son remains in hospital with serious injuries, according to his niece, Leia Roitour, who has set up a GoFundMe page to help raise money to support the family.
In a post on social media, Roitour wrote:
Our family is facing an unimaginable tragedy after the sudden loss of Boris Tetleroyd in the Bondi attack. He was a loving husband and father, and his absence has left a void that words cannot express.
My aunt is now navigating life as a widow, and my cousin is recovering in the hospital from injuries sustained during the attack.
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Labor will take Frydenberg’s suggestions ‘very seriously’, Chalmers says
Jim Chalmers has addressed Josh Frydenberg’s comments in Bondi today that included a call for the prime minister to ‘accept personal responsibility’ for the deaths in the terror attack:
I say this also about Josh Frydenberg – we weren’t able to catch all of what he said before we came out here to spend time with you today, but we saw some of it.
I have a lot of respect for Josh Frydenberg. I think those of you know that, when we were in this parliament together, I have always taken a respectful approach to Josh’s views.
I don’t doubt the intensity or the sincerity of his views. And we take them seriously. And he, like a lot of Australians, is mourning and is grieving. And we will take suggestions from him or from other members of the community very seriously.
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Government press ahead with mid-year budget update in Canberra
Treasurer Jim Chalmers and the finance minister, Katy Gallagher, are handing down the mid-year budget update in Canberra.
Chalmers says the government decided to press ahead with the annual release, despite the tragedy in Bondi on Sunday night. Waiting until the week of Christmas or asking Treasury officials to rework figures in the packages in early January were not good options, he explains.
Included in the contingency in the MYEFO is about $104m for security at Jewish community sites around the country, as well as the Jewish Community House in Bondi for crisis services.
Prime minister, Anthony Albanese, announced new funding following the shooting.
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Josh Frydenberg continues:
Prime minister, I heard you say yesterday that you are ready for the fight on guns. Well, let me tell you, guns may have stolen the life of 15 innocent civilians, but it was radical Islamist ideology that pulled the trigger.
And if you, prime minister, can’t say those words, Islamist ideology, if you can’t speak them, you can’t solve them. So, prime minister, you have failed us. Your government has failed us.
If you don’t want to do the job, give it to somebody who will.
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Frydenberg calls for PM to ‘accept personal responsibility’ for deaths in Bondi terror attack
Josh Frydenberg has said the PM should take personal responsibility for the deaths on Sunday.
Our prime minister, our government, has allowed Australia to be radicalised on his watch.
It is time for him to accept personal responsibility for the death of the 15 innocent people, including a 10-year-old child. It is time our prime minister accepted accountability for what has happened here. And it’s time our leaders stood up and led at last. This is a time for accountability and action.
He has called for the PM to ban hate preachers, ban extremist organisations such as Hizb ut-Tahrir, and ban the pro-Palestine protests.
For two-and-a-half years, we have put up with daily protests which have become incubators of hate. There is a ceasefire in the Middle East. Israel launched a defensive action against a listed terrorist organisation that took more than 1,200 innocent lives and hundreds of Israelis hostage.
And you have allowed these protests, unabated, to go on for two-and-a-half years, destroying businesses and now destroying lives. Stop the protests.
Frydenberg also called for more education and “a much more effective and rigorous and strong immigration system.”
He also accused the government of ignoring special envoy Jillian Segal’s recommendations.
If there was ever an illustration of your failure, of your government’s failure to treat the dangerous rise of antisemitism with the urgency and the importance that it deserves, that was it.
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Visibly angry, Frydenberg said that since October 7, there have been attacks on Jewish Australians.
Make no mistake, I am here, we are here to fight for the soul of Australia and to fight for the survival of the Australian Jewish community that has been here since the arrival of the first Fleet. Just over 100,000 strong.
It has produced Australia’s greatest citizen soldier, Sir John Monash, who would be turning in his grave right now.
Our first Australian-born governor general, Sir Isaac Isaacs, and the man who brought a touch of healing to our country, and Olympic gold medallist Jessica Fox, chief scientist and our greatest philanthropists, Frank Lowy, and industrialists, this is what the Jewish community has contributed in 125 years or more and this is how our government repays us.
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Josh Frydenberg visits Bondi and says 'this was all too predictable'
Former Liberal MP, Josh Frydenberg, has just spoken to the media in Bondi, where he was laying flowers. He said:
I’m here to mourn, but I am also here to warn.
Unless our governments, federal and state, take urgent, unprecedented and strong action, as night follows day, we will be back grieving the loss of innocent life in another terrorist attack in our country. This was all too predictable.
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NSW Health provide update on injured victims
NSW Health has released new patient numbers, saying there are 21 people now receiving care, down from 22 this morning.
Patients continue to be discharged, NSW Health said, but some patients who are discharged may return to the hospital for further care.
As of 12pm, there was one person in a critical condition and five people in critical but stable condition.
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Penny Wong and Canadian minister for foreign affairs to work ‘even more closely to fight antisemitism’
The foreign minister, Penny Wong, has spoken with her Canadian counterpart, minister for foreign affairs, Anita Anand, this morning about the Bondi shootings.
Minister Anand expressed her solidarity and condolences for the people of Australia. The pair agreed to work closely to fight the global rise in antisemitism, to learn from each other on combating terrorism, violent extremism and hate.
Wong said:
I appreciate Minister Anand’s kind and heartfelt words to the people of Australia following the antisemitic terror attack on Bondi Beach.
We agreed to work even more closely to fight antisemitism and to learn from each other and our experiences to ensure our Jewish communities always feel safe and protected.
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The PM expects suspect in Bondi terror attack to be charged by police today
Anthony Albanese has said he expected the surviving suspect in the Bondi terror attack, Naveen Akram, to be charged by police today.
Speaking on Mamamia’s podcast, Albanese was asked about Akram waking up in hospital. His father, Sajid, died at the scene after being shot by police.
“He will be charged formally, if he hasn’t been so already, I would expect that will take place over the coming hours,” the prime minister said, according to a transcript issued by his office.
NSW Police were contacted for comment, with a spokesperson saying no charges had yet been laid as of 11.25am Wednesday.
Speaking about the alleged offenders on Mamamia’s podcast, Albanese said: “the evidence is that they were motivated by the sort of ideology of the Islamic State, that there were flags present in the back of their vehicle that they drove to Bondi in order to cause harm.”
“This is a perverse ideology, a terrorist ideology that does not respect human life, and that is antisemitic in character, but anti-humanity as well. And tragically, we’ve seen that play out at that iconic Australian venue of Bondi Beach,” he said.
The PM said authorities continued to investigate their backgrounds, including travel to the Philippines recently.
Albanese also emphasised the need for gun control measures, such as those suggested at national cabinet on Monday – adding the need to “emphasise the gun buyback provisions that are available, and for us also to look at customs as well.”
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Police officer injured during Bondi shooting loses sight in one eye
The family of Jack Hibbert, 22, a probationary constable injured during the Bondi shooting, has released a statement saying he has lost sight in one eye after being shot in the head while trying to save people on the beach.
Jack sustained two bullet wounds – one to his head and another to his shoulder. Jack was taken to ICU where he was intubated and underwent multiple surgeries.
Although miraculously surviving, Jack’s injuries have resulted in a loss of vision in one of his eyes and he now faces a long and challenging recovery ahead, with additional surgeries required.
Jack has only been in the police force for four months, his family said.
Even so, in the face of a violent and tragic incident, he responded with courage, instinct, and selflessness, continuing to protect and help others whilst injured, until he was physically no longer able to.
Jack was simply doing his job – a job he deeply loves – driven by a commitment to protect the community, even at great personal cost.
Many of his colleagues who were present on the night of the incident have visited him in hospital, they said.
They described how Jack acted, he moved toward people in need, not away from danger, and continued helping others while seriously injured.
The support from the police force and hospital staff has been unmatched and we are beyond grateful. We thank the wider community for their kindness, support, and prayers for Jack and our family during this difficult time.
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Rabbi Ulman finishes by saying that this Sunday, a group of rabbis from Bondi and the Jewish community will meet again on the beach to light eight candles.
We’re going to show the world that the Jewish people are unbeatable.
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Police expect to speak to alleged shooter this morning
Following on from the prime minister saying the surviving alleged gunman would be charged today: Police have said they expect investigators will speak to Naveed Akram from hospital this morning.
Akram, 24, had been in a coma until Tuesday afternoon, the NSW police commissioner, Mal Lanyon, told the ABC.
Police had only spoken to Akram while holding him in custody in hospital, not for investigative purposes or to charge him with alleged offences, Lanyon told 2GB.
Police had been waiting for him to recover and for the effects of his medication to wear off today, Lanyon said, adding investigators expected to speak to Akram this morning once he had a legal representative:
“We expect to speak to him today. I think it’s important we will [have] the opportunity to speak to him first in the presence of a legal advisor before I announce what it may look like.”
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Sydney Jewish bakery ‘closed forever’ in wake of Bondi attack
Avner’s Bakery, a prominent Jewish bakery in Sydney’s Surry Hills neighbourhood run by celebrity chef Ed Halmagyi, has closed for good in the wake of the Bondi shooting.
“Closed today, closed forever”, a man standing outside the shop said this morning.
A message posted on the bakery’s windows said the world had “changed” in the wake of the attack, and one thing had become clear:
It is no longer possible to make outwardly, publicly, proudly Jewish places and events safe in Australia.
After two years of almost ceaseless antisemitic harassment, vandalism and intimidation directed at our little bakery, we have to be realistic about the threat that exist going forwards. Those concerns are now clearly more pressing and more serious. Even in the wake of this terrorist incident, threats have continued.
Avner’s said it felt the business was no longer able to keep its staff, customers and families safe. Halmagyi has detailed scores of antisemitic incidents since the bakery opened its doors, including threatening notes, graffiti and vandalism.
And so we have made the only decision available, one that truly breaks our hearts. Avner’s is closed.
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Ulman says it is “unfathomable” what has happened.
We can’t understand it, but Eli, you now know the answer, because you are in the world of truth.
After what happened, my biggest regret, apart from obviously, was from the things that I could have done more. To tell Eli more often how much we love him, how much I love him. How much we appreciate everything that he does, and I’m proud we are of him.
I hope he knew it, but I think it should have been said more. To all of us, I’m saying, don’t leave things for tomorrow, if you’ve something to say to people close to you, say today.
Ulman has made everyone laugh by telling the crowd how much his wife also loved Eli. How she would say “he is my best friend” before quickly adding “after you”.
Ulman:
Our community suffered, our own … seventh of October. Proportionally, that’s what it is.
So many people and so many connected to this place with Eli, with Yakov.
Ulman lists some of the known victims, including 10 year-old Matilda, the youngest victim of Sunday’s terrorist attack
So much pain, so much tragedy. And what about people that are still in hospital, recovering?
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Ulman says Eli, who was 41 years old, lived a life rich enough to be double his age.
In the community, he was there for everyone … constantly thinking of new ways, motivating himself, and how to help other people.
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Rabbi Ulman remembers Eli Schlanger: ‘unthinkable that we talk about you in the past tense’
Eli’s dear father-in-law, Rabbi Ulman, is speaking now, through tears.
It is unthinkable that we talk about you in the past tense. And it’s unthinkable for me to have to say something to a crowd and not be able to come to him and say, Eli, what do you think about these deaths?
Ulman says Jewish funerals do not normally take place in synagogues, with only a few religious exemptions, one of which is for “a great leader among the Jewish people”.
As he speaks, people in the crowd have broken into tears.
Whatever I will say today will be such an understatement to what you meant to. To everyone, to your family, and to me personally.
He says that as soon as Eli married Ulman’s daughter, he became “everything to him”.
You’re my son, my friend and confidant. To think I will go a day without you, it doesn’t seem possible.
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Final arrivals at funeral of Rabbi Eli Schlanger
Before the service started, among the final arrivals were Israel’s ambassador to Australia, Amir Maimon, the Nationals senator Bridget McKenzie, and the NSW minister for multicultural affairs, Steve Kamper.
The federal MP for Macnamara in Melbourne, Josh Burns, has also travelled to attend the service.
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, does not appear to have arrived through the main entrance. It is unknown if he is expected. The security and police presence is significant with a large section of the street cordoned off.
Earlier, a funeral-goer, Randolph Griffiths, who described himself as a “fifth-generation Australian Jew”, approached media to criticise the Albanese government’s response to antisemitism.
“We can talk and talk and talk,” he said, holding back tears. “We elect them to act.”
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It is an emotional scene inside the synagogue. Different prayers are being read in both Hebrew and English by different rabbis. The room is packed with people, and many are standing.
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Minns says 20 officers were on duty in Bondi area on day of shooting
The NSW premier, Chris Minns, has issued a statement clarifying police numbers at Bondi on Sunday when two gunmen killed 15 people at a Jewish festival in Archer Park.
My understanding is NSW police worked closely with CSG [Community Security Group] noting that there were a number of Chanukah events, including events in Bondi, North Bondi and Dover Heights.
I am advised there were around 20 NSW police officers on duty in the Bondi area, including two detectives, with at least three officers patrolling the park.
Yesterday, Minns and the NSW police commissioner issued a strong defence of the police response in the face of robust questioning from reporters:
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Rabbi Eli Schlanger was 'ripped away from us, doing what he loved best'
Rabbi Aron Moss has started the funeral, saying, “Eli was ripped away from us, doing what he loved best.”
Spreading love and joy and caring for his people with endless self-sacrifice in his life and in his death, he towered above as one of the highest and holiest souls.
This loss is massive for the entire Jewish nation, but for our community here, and for Chabad of Bondi, the loss is unspeakable.
Moss speaks to his family, his parents, wife and children and describes him as a devoted family man.
He was much more than a rabbi to his congregants. He was a loving friend to his family. He was not just another family member. He was a mentor to his colleagues and friends.
He was more than just another rabbi. He was a force. Each one of us here will honour Eli by also being so much more Jewish, more proud, more loving, more attentive to our children, supportive of our friends, and involved in our community.
• This post was amended at 3.51pm AEDT to correct the identity of the rabbi leading the funeral service.
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Funeral of Rabbi Eli Schlanger begins
The funeral of Rabbi Eli Schlanger has started at a synagogue in Sydney’s eastern suburbs.
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Minns, Spender arrive for funeral of Eli Schlanger
The NSW premier, Chris Minns, has now arrived at the funeral of Rabbi Eli Schlanger.
The premier, wearing a kippah, shook hands with members of the Jewish community outside. He was joined by the NSW minister for local government, Ron Hoenig, and the minister for fair trading, Anoulack Chanthivong.
Behind him was the federal member for Wentworth, Allegra Spender, who embraced a member of the security staff.
The funeral for the London-born Schlanger is one of the first to take place following Sunday’s attack. He has been described as a “vivacious, energetic, full of life and a very warm outgoing person who loved to help people”.
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Sussan Ley arrives for the funeral of Rabbi Eli Schlanger
People have been slowly arriving for the funeral of Rabbi Eli Schlanger at a synagogue in Sydney’s eastern suburbs.
The London-born Schlanger, 41, was the first of the victims of Sunday’s attack to be named.
Among the arrivals so far are the federal opposition leader, Sussan Ley, and the National party leader, David Littleproud, who embraced members of the Jewish community outside the building.
The NSW opposition leader, Kellie Sloane, has also arrived.
The funeral is expected to start at 11am.
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Bondi Icebergs club thanks staff and members
The Bondi Icebergs club has released a statement saying members of the public sought refuge in the club during the event and were helped by staff and lifeguards.
The president of the Bondi Icebergs Club, known just as Lynne, said:
Lifeguards and club staff worked collaboratively to assist those who sought refuge and ensure the safety of everyone within the club’s premises until NSW police confirmed it was safe to depart.
Our entire Board cannot thank our staff enough for their calm, kind and coordinated response.
To all our members who were present and raced in to render first aid and save lives, your actions were truly selfless and showed heroism and bravery. Thank you.
Our thoughts are with everyone affected by this tragic attack, particularly our Jewish community and members. Bondi is and always will be a place for all.
The journey ahead will be different for everyone.
Please know we are here for you. We will continue to support our community and staff, and lend a head to our neighbouring surf clubs and council lifeguards as we grapple with the events that occurred.
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Rabbi Yossi Freedman joins mourners in Bondi
Rabbi Yossi Freedman, a former senior rabbi at Maroubra Synagogue and local to Sydney’s eastern suburbs, arrived at Bondi Pavilion early on Tuesday morning and has been there for most of the day.
Every few hours, he reads the names of the identified victims to the crowd, and leads them in rounds of prayer and song.
One victim he singled out was Alex Kleytman, 87, who survived the Holocaust before being fatally shot on Sunday evening. Freedman said he was succeeded by his grandchildren, who were also at the Hanukah event.
Alex was just here at a family event with his wife, his family, and he was murdered. He survived the horrors of the Holocaust just to be murdered here, at Bondi Beach, what is supposed to be a safe space.
He also spoke of Tibor Weitzen, a relative of Kleytman’s wife, whose granddaughter was sitting next to him at the event.
He was brutally murdered in front of her. He was 78-years old, his granddaughter, pregnant, about to give birth any day. She’s now going through this trauma.
Tibor was known to be the most generous, loving, kind, compassionate, selfless person. In fact, he was just swimming with his great granddaughter and his granddaughter on Sunday morning. They had no idea this would be the last time that they would be together.
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Governor general visits victims in hospital
The governor general, Sam Mostyn, has visited St Vincent’s Hospital in Sydney’s east, where five victims of Bondi’s shooting were being treated this morning.
Arriving soon after the prime minister’s departure, Mostyn brought flowers and walked through the hospital, speaking to medical staff, briefly standing by a memorial table the hospital has established in its foyer.
Alongside flowers, candles and a glass bowl of rosemary sprigs, the table bears a framed message from the hospital, which reads:
We acknowledge and remember those who have died and their grieving families, friends and communities.
We offer our care and compassion for all those injured in hospital.
We give thanks for first responders, ambulance and police services, and all St. Vincent’s staff.
We offer our heartfelt support to all our patients.
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Nationals leader says no need to change gun laws in wake of Bondi attack
Nationals leader David Littleproud has just told the ABC that Australia’s “gun laws work”. Asked what he thought about tightening restrictions, he said:
The gun laws work. Let me make this clear – one of those recommendations is around the sharing of information between agencies, which was one that was already in train. It’s a reannouncement.
But just understand, you can’t go and get a gun in this country and just walk in and get one. You need to undergo a fit and proper person test. You can’t get a gun of any calibre, you need to prove why you need a gun of a certain calibre. You go through training, licences don’t go on for perpetuity.
Littleproud said the underlying legislative architecture was fine, but he acknowledged there may be process issues:
And I think this has been nothing more than a cheap political diversion by the prime minister who is running away from his culpability of forgetting what he has done in not seeing those cues and acting on the rising antisemitism, the decay of our society since eight October on the steps of the Sydney Opera House.
As the PM gears up to tighten gun laws, Littleproud has claimed, “this isn’t a gun problem, it’s an ideology problem”. More here from our story yesterday:
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Sussan Ley again demands Labor implement Jillian Segal’s antisemitism report ‘in full’
The opposition leader, Sussan Ley, has again demanded the Albanese government implement Jillian Segal’s antisemitism report “in full”, accusing Labor of allowing the recommendations to sit “gathering dust” in recent months.
Ley says her Coalition would support any action to combat extremism and strengthen counter-terror operations after the Bondi massacre. The Coalition today has announced an internal working group on antisemitism, extremism and terror, with its first priority being “the full implementation of the government’s own antisemitism envoy’s report which has sat gathering dust on the prime minister’s desk”.
This comes despite major concerns being raised about Segal’s calls for media monitoring, and cutting funding to arts organisations.
The Coalition’s taskforce – including senior members of the opposition – will also engage with Jewish community leaders and organisations “to ensure their security needs are understood and addressed”. The Coalition is also calling for a focus on examining “weaknesses and emerging risks across intelligence coordination, law enforcement powers, border integrity and the monitoring of individuals on terror watchlists”.
The Coalition’s response does not specifically mention a call for cracking down on gun laws or licensing schemes – which the Nationals leader David Littleproud, who is not on the taskforce, called a “distraction” from a focus on antisemitism and extremism.
But Ley said the Coalition “stands ready to support any serious and effective action that strengthens counter-terrorism, disrupts extremists and protects lives”.
“That must start with implementing the antisemitism envoy’s report in full, not shelving it or watering it down,” she added.
“Asio has been clear. Antisemitism represents the greatest threat to loss of life in Australia, and when our intelligence agencies issue warnings of that magnitude, political leaders have a duty to act.”
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Albanese pays tribute to victims of attack
The PM said if the government needs to strengthen Australia’s hate speech laws, it will. He paid tribute to more of the people whose lives were lost on Sunday:
I pay tribute to Boris and Sofia Gurman, Boris attacked one of these terrorists as he got out of the car. And that caused Mr and Ms Gurman, who have been married for 60 years, to lose their life.
To Reuven Morrison, who threw bricks and took action to try to stop this occurring, also murdered by these terrorists. These are Australian heroes. Just as Ahmed al-Ahmed, who I was able to meet with yesterday, is an Australian hero.
I met with Rabbi Eli’s family yesterday. They’re going through an extraordinarily difficult time. Rabbi Eli was clearly much loved in the community, not just by his family as well. And I think all Australians’ thoughts and hearts are with those families as they go through farewelling loved ones.
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The PM says he met with Jillian Segal yesterday:
I have spoken with her daily, and we’re continuing to work through a whole range of measures in the Segal report. Of course, on antisemitism. We are already implementing.
This isn’t a set-and-forget report. This is something that will be an evolving position; antisemitism has been around for a long period of time. Many nations, such as the United States, have had special envoys on antisemitism for a long period of time.
My government is the first to appoint one. Jillian Segal is doing an extraordinary job, we’ll continue to engage with her on an ongoing basis, including the lessons that arise from this atrocity.
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‘Love is more powerful than hate’
The PM:
I’ll continue to look for what unites us, and I have seen that here this morning. We need to learn any lessons that are learned from this, undertake stronger action, undertake any legislative change, undertake any powers, additional powers … are needed across the board. To work with the Jewish community.
We want to stamp out and eradicate antisemitism from our society. We want to also stamp out the evil ideology of what would appear to be, from investigators, an Isis-inspired attack. That has no place, that sort of hatred.
What strengthens Australia is our love for each other. And at this time, I’m seeing a lot of evidence of that as well. Love is more powerful than hate. That is what we need to see.
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The PM:
We need to, as a nation, to come together, to unite, to make sure that we celebrate the best of humanity that we have seen here in the nurses and medical professionals who provided that care and support to their fellow – fellow Australians.
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PM lights Hanukkah candles with rabbis and Jewish community members
The PM said he and the governor general held a gathering last night with rabbis and members of the Jewish community.
It was an opportunity for us to pray together, for us to have those personal discussions as well. And I had discussions with family members who have lost relatives and loved ones.
People who are devastated by what has occurred. Australia will come through this. Hanukkah is a festival of the victory of light over darkness, and last night, together with the governor general, Rabbi Ben Elton of the Sydney synagogue, lit the candles to symbolise the victory of light over darkness.
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‘Our nation will respond,’ PM says
Albanese:
This is an incredibly traumatic time for members of the Australian Jewish community. It has also shaken our nation. Our nation will respond. We will. We will hold people to account of for what has occurred. We will give whatever powers are necessary to our police forces, to our security and intelligence agencies arising from this act of terror, an act of antisemitism that, we saw play out on Sunday night.
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‘Heroes’: Albanese praises medical staff who responded to Sunday’s attack
The PM is now speaking in Sydney. He says the medical staff who responded to Sunday’s tragedy “are heroes”.
They were not just people who were rostered on, but people who were not rostered on, who travelled from as far as the Central Coast when they heard that there would be a need.
The PM said there were eight people being operated on at once, with on at least one occasion, there being only 12 minutes between someone arriving at the emergency at St Vincent’s and being on the operating table.
In a traumatic experience, they responded with professionalism, with compassion and with the best of Australian values. And today was an opportunity for myself and the governor general to say thank you on behalf of Australians to the doctors, the surgeons, the nurses, the pathologists, the radiologists, the people who engaged in providing assistance to people in circumstances that were incredibly traumatic.
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NSW police to lift Bondi beach crime scene
Bondi beach will be reopened to the public later today when the crime scene lifts, the NSW police commissioner, Mal Lanyon, has confirmed.
The park where Sunday’s Hanukah event had been held and the neighbouring pavilion have been closed to the public since Sunday evening. Lanyon told ABC radio police had carried out forensic and ballistics investigations and would clean the area before allowing people to re-enter this afternoon:
We have been facilitating access to some vehicles and other possessions that are within the crime scene, but I expect that we’ll formally return that to the public this afternoon. But as I said, our priority is to make sure that it’s in appropriate condition whenever it returns to the public. We certainly don’t want to traumatise any people further.
Lanyon said police would maintain a strong presence in the area, with 330 officers patrolling the eastern suburbs and watching places of worship each day, after Operation Shelter, combating antisemitic incidents, was stepped up on Sunday evening.
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Liberal frontbencher says gun control not the solution
Julian Leeser, the Liberal frontbencher, has said gun control is not the solution to the attack on Bondi beach.
Leeser, a Jewish man and MP for Berowra in Sydney’s north, said government’s needed to focus on antisemitism, not gun laws, in responding to Sunday’s events. He told the ABC:
John Howard is right, as are the three former heads of the security agencies who have written in the papers today, that gun control is not the solution here. You’ve got to attack what put in the minds of the gun holders to go and commit this act in the first place and that means addressing antisemitism.
Former intelligence and defence heads Nick Warner, Duncan Lewis and Dennis Richardson told The Australian gun reforms would not be enough, echoing comments by Howard, the former prime minister.
The Coalition is convening a taskforce to combat antisemitism, which will look to improve connections between state and federal agencies to prevent terrorism, continuously engage with Jewish community to represent their views, and advocate for the antisemitism envoy’s policy recommendations, Leeser said.
Speaking from Bondi beach, Leeser described community members’ grief turning to anger as some Jewish Australians have started blaming the federal government for the events of Sunday.
There is a degree of bewilderment, sadness, there is a growing degree of anger that although people are shocked this has happened, it was also all so predictable ... The anger is from the fact that the government, they feel, has not done enough.
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Our photographer Blake Sharp-Wiggins is at Bondi for the paddle-out this morning and has just taken these pictures:
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Hundreds of swimmers paddle out at Bondi in tribute to victims
Hundreds of swimmers at Bondi have formed human circles – in the beach and in the ocean – in honour of the victims of Sunday’s attack.
Bondi is known for its early morning swimmers and surfers, but many have not returned to the water since Sunday’s horrific events.
Today, two swimming clubs, the Great White Swim Club and Bondi Fairy Penguins, organised an event in honour of the 15 people who lost their lives, and in solidarity with the Jewish community.
They held a minute’s silence on the beach before swimming out to form human circles in the ocean.
Bondi Fairy Penguins committee member Sarah Davies said the group felt like it was “the right thing to do”.
We felt that it was important for the community to come together and also for us to show support to people who were affected … particularly the Jewish community.
A steady stream of people filtered down the beach as the sun rose over Bondi. Eventually, hundreds formed a circle several rows deep as swimmers linked arms, lowered their heads in reflection, and exchanged hugs before running into the surf.
From the beach, the spray from an enormous human circle could be seen in the water.
Swimmers also came out to thank first responders, including local lifesavers. They gathered in front of the North Bondi Surf Life Saving Club, which is still inside police tape in the cordoned-off area.
Mick Ormsby, of the Bondi Fairy Penguins, gave a speech which he told Guardian Australia had paid tribute to the victims as well as the “utter courage and light and love … the service that first responders, police, the lifeguards, the volunteers from the clubs, the members of the public that did all that courageous stuff”.
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NSW Liberals say gun reform must not distract from Albanese’s failure on antisemitism
Kellie Sloane, NSW’s opposition leader, has warned gun laws must not distract from the “real issue” including antisemitism, while maintaining her support for the state premier’s reform push.
The Liberal leader and state MP for the Bondi area echoed comments yesterday from Coalition colleagues, including John Howard, discussing gun laws on ABC Radio, Sydney, this morning. She singled out the Albanese government for criticism:
This cannot be a distraction from the real issue at hand, which is ideology, terrorism, radicalisation, and a failure, particularly federally, to stand up to antisemitism, to call it out and to have very strong words and actions on antisemitism.
Sloane also criticised the NSW premier, Chris Minns, for an inconsistent focus on gun access, noting Minns had initially supported broadening gun use laws earlier in 2025, following a “right to hunt” bill sponsored by the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers party.
The premier’s been talking about some of the toughest gun laws in the country, but Labor has been supportive of expansion of shooting rights this year ... Let’s have a consistent approach to gun reform.
The opposition leader continued to offer support for the crackdown on gun ownership Minns is now proposing, but said she would consider the details of new laws and declined to commit specifically to limiting gun ownership to Australian citizens when asked.
Our firearms laws must be fit for purpose in the modern state and there are clearly things that we need to look at ... We’d need to see the detail of how that would work practically. We’re open to looking at it. I think this is a difficult area. Consistency in policy is also going to be important.
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Policing levels left Hanukah event attendees ‘sitting ducks’, says NSW Liberal leader
Kellie Sloane, NSW’s opposition leader, has said police didn’t provide enough resources to Sunday’s attack.
Sloane said more needed to be revealed about the decisions on police resourcing to protect Jewish events, both to protect the community and the police. She told ABC Radio Sydney :
The two police officers who ran towards danger and are in critical situations, we owe it to them, we owe it to their colleagues, to be asking questions about what more could have been done ...
The Jewish community is at such an extreme risk. We knew this before the event on the first day of Hanukah. And I felt like they were sitting ducks, so no blame here at the moment, but we do need to understand more could have been done and why they weren’t protected.
When asked whether police had provided appropriate policing levels, Sloane said:
“Clearly in retrospect, they did not.”
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22 patients still in Sydney hospitals with injuries from Bondi attack
There are currently 22 patients receiving care in several Sydney hospitals for their injuries.
This includes nine patients in critical or critical but stable conditions.
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PM says action on gun law reforms should not be a ‘substitute’ for action on antisemitism
Anthony Albanese says the thoughts of all Australians are with the Jewish community today, as funerals for victims of the Bondi terror massacre begin.
The prime minister has also defended his government’s response to antisemitism, while telling ABC News Radio they need to do more.
Albanese wouldn’t say which parts of antisemitism envoy Jillian Segal’s plan would now be further implemented. But he said parts of the plan and the government’s response would “evolve over time”, and that the events of this week would impact on that plan too.
The PM said it was important to examine how the system of gun licensing works, and whether criminal intelligence should be used in deciding licences. Asked about how one of the alleged shooters managed to obtain a licence, despite his son and the other alleged shooter being investigated by Asio several years earlier, Albanese replied: “Quite clearly, there have been real issues. We need to examine exactly the way systems work.”
“We need to look at how commonwealth and state agencies interact,” he added, including police and intelligence services.
The PM added that any action on gun reforms could also not be a “substitute” for action on antisemitism, after Coalition figures, including John Howard claimed it could be a “diversion” from acting on anti-Jewish hatred.
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Marles said Sunday was an attack on the “Australian way of life”.
I have never seen antisemitism over what I’ve seen in the last couple of years and it’s really, really important this has no place in Australian society.
I think the other point to make, though, is that, on Sunday night, this was a targeted attack on the community; it was also an attack on the Australian way of life.
There’s nothing more Australian than the celebration of one’s culture, one’s faith, and to be able to do that, and people should have a right to do that in safety and with joy. And Jewish Australians deserve that right as much any other Australian. This was an attack on all of that.
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Marles said they have already adopted parts of the Segal report:
There’s a whole lot that’s already in the Segal report we put into place. For example, we’re working with universities in this country to make sure that campuses are safe for Jewish students, but as importantly, Jewish students feel they are safe. We have criminalised more forms of hate speech. But there’s more that needs to be done. We’ll do it.
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‘There’s much more that needs to be done’ to make Jewish community feel safe, says Marles
Marles said he understands Sunday night “shattered the sense of security that people in the Jewish community felt”.
We have criminalised more forms of hate speech than governments have in the past, the Nazi salute, we have criminalised doxing, we’re with universities to make them safer places for Jewish students. But not for a moment am I suggesting that all the work is done. There’s much more that needs to be done.
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Deputy PM describes ‘moving experience’ visiting Bondi
The deputy prime minister, Richard Marles, has been speaking on the ABC. He was at Bondi yesterday speaking to community members. He said:
There’s something about such an iconic part of Australia being – the place where obviously this has all occurred and to see this scene now. There was a sense of Australians really coming together from every walk of life to pay their respects, to really place the Australian Jewish community in their embrace. And Hanukkah is about bringing light into the darkness.
For me, it was a very, it was – it was a very moving experience to be there.
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Edith Brutman the 12th Bondi attack victim to be named
Edith Brutman, the 12th victim of Sunday’s shooting to be named, has been remembered as an active and dedicated member of community service organisations.
Brutman was a beloved grandmother served as vice-president of an anti-prejudice committee in the NSW branch of B’nai Brith, a global inclusive Jewish service organisation, according to the website of Chabad.
She was also a longtime member of Aviv, B’nai Brith’s social group, but had been unable to participate in community events while battling a number of health issues, Chabad reports. She had been excited to return to celebrations and go to Sunday’s Hanukah event at Bondi Beach.
Brutman, 68, attended with friends, including Tibor Weitzen and his wife and was sitting next to them when the shooting began, according to Jewish news website Anash. She died during the attack and is survived by her children and grandchildren.
• An earlier version of this post incorrectly identified Brutman as the tenth, rather than 12th victim to be named.
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Australian National Imams Council condemn ‘evil’ Islamic State: ‘ISIS does not represent Islam’
The Australian National Imams Council, as the highest Islamic and religious authority in Australia, together with its member imams and religious leaders, has released a statement unequivocally condemning Islamic State.
It said:
[IS is] an evil, dangerous terrorist organisation whose actions and ideology stand in complete opposition to the teachings of Islam and the values upheld by Muslims worldwide. This position has been clear and consistent by ANIC since the very emergence of ISIS and has been maintained without hesitation ever since.
The Muslim world has suffered firsthand at the hands of ISIS, with the overwhelming majority of its victims being Muslims. Communities across the Middle East, Africa, and beyond have endured mass killings, displacement, and the destruction of places of worship, including mosques.
ISIS does not represent Islam or the Muslim world in any way. Its ideology is evil and rooted in violence and terror. It bears no relationship to Islamic teachings, ethics, or scholarship, which emphasise the sanctity of life, justice, and mercy.
This terrorist organisation does not deserve any association with Islam in name or description. We also reject any attempt to connect ISIS or its members to Islam or to frame its evil and dangerous ideology as a distorted version of the Islamic faith.
All reputable and prominent Islamic institutions, scholars, and Muftis across the Muslim world have openly, repeatedly, and unequivocally condemned and denounced ISIS and its ideology. This includes leading global Islamic authorities such as Al-Azhar Al-Sharif, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, the Muslim World League, the International Union of Muslim Scholars, Dar al-Ifta al-Misriyyah (Egypt), Majelis Ulama Indonesia, the Council of Senior Scholars in Saudi Arabia, and the European Council for Fatwa and Research, among many others. There is no legitimacy, credibility, or scholarly support for ISIS within mainstream Islam.
Anyone connected to, supporting, or promoting ISIS ideology must be denounced and held accountable. There can be no tolerance for the justification, glorification, or revival of an ideology built on violence and terror.
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Funeral for Rabbi Eli Schlanger to be held today
A funeral service will be held today for Rabbi Eli Schlanger who was murdered in Sunday’s terrorist attack at Chanukah by the Sea at Bondi Beach.
The service will be held at Chabad of Bondi Synagogue in Bondi at 11am. Due to expected large crowds, Wellington Street will be closed in the area surrounding the synagogue. The service will also be live-streamed.
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La Perouse public school remember ‘little ray of sunshine’ Matilda
La Perouse public school said Matilda was their “little ray of sunshine” as they paid tribute to their pupil, who was “deeply respected and loved” by students and staff alike.
Her school wrote online:
We watched as she rose in surprise, and slowly started to make her way to the stage.
Her smile shining brighter than ever, and even though we were told ‘no wooing’ as we weren’t at a concert, how could we resist? We watched Matilda reach every single goal she set out to achieve, and we were so proud of her.
Matilda had just won an International Literacy Award and would be remembered for the strong bond she had with her sister Summer, the school said.
Matilda has a strength and joy for life that we will always cherish and remember.
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Chalmers vows government will do more to combat antisemitism
Chalmers says the government has made moves to help fight antisemitism, but would do more.
I understand that the Jewish community is extremely angry, and so are we. And we understand that emotions are raw and for good reasons. This was a horrific, evil act.
… I mean, there’s a long list of things that we have progressed. You know, the new sanctions on Terragram, the landmark ban on the Nazi salute, the criminalising of doxing, the hate crimes database, the extra money for security around schools and synagogues, the legislation around hate speech.
The government has acted on a number of fronts, but we say that, understanding that the Jewish community would like us to do more, the Australian community would like us to do more – and we will.
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Government ‘focused’ on combating antisemitism and gun control issues, treasurer says
Treasurer Jim Chalmers has just been on RN, where he has said the government is “focused” on combating antisemitism and gun control issues.
He said:
We’re focused on both of those things simultaneously, countering these horrifying and evil acts of antisemitism at the same time as we tighten our gun laws.
And frankly, in relation to Mr Howard, I don’t know why in the wake of a mass shooting, some politicians, some current and some former, are trying to diminish our efforts to tighten our gun laws. John Howard, of all people, should understand how important this is.
We are capable of dealing with both serious issues at once, and that’s the prime minister’s approach to it. It’s not an either-or.
And I find it strange in the extreme that, in the wake of a mass shooting, some politicians are trying to diminish or downplay the important role that tighter gun laws could play in our response to this.
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South Australia premier committed to national gun law reform
The South Australian premier, Peter Malinauskas, has just been speaking to the ABC about antisemitism. He says it’s important to acknowledge antisemitism does exist in SA:
We’ve seen elements of it rear its head, albeit in isolated circumstances. It just invites a sincere and genuine redoubling of efforts from government, including putting money where our mouth is, investing in all things around education, what antisemitism looks like, young people have an appreciation that this is a real threat.
Asked about gun laws, Malinauskas says he is committed to national gun law reform and already has some of the strictest gun laws in the country.
When the bar is raised, South Australia is not going to be left behind. We’re committed to making sure that people are protected. In South Australia, we don’t have perpetual gun licences. Depending on the class of firearms licence you have, you have it every year, or every three years or five years, depending on what your firearms are.
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Bondi terror attack victims mourned as funerals begin
Victims of a terror attack in Bondi will be remembered as their funerals begin, AAP has reported.
Rabbi Eli Schlanger and Rabbi Yaakov Levitan will be buried shortly after services on Tuesday.
The religious leaders were among 15 killed when Sajid Akram, 50, and his son Naveed, 24, fired at scores of people at Sydney’s Bondi Beach on Sunday night as they celebrated the Jewish festival of lights.
Rabbi Schlanger’s funeral will be held at Chabad of Bondi, just a kilometre away from the terrorist attack, while Rabbi Levitan’s service will take place at Macquarie Park in Sydney’s north.
Jews are traditionally buried within 24 hours from time of death but coronial investigations has meant funerals are being held later.
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Man to face court over alleged display of Nazi symbol in NSW
A man will face court over allegedly displaying a Nazi symbol in the state’s Lake Macquarie area.
On Saturday 6 December 2025, officers from Lake Macquarie police district attended a home on Albert Street, Swansea, in relation to a prohibited Nazi symbol displayed on a boat parked at the location.
NSW police said:
Following inquiries, on Tuesday 16 December 2025, detectives from Lake Macquarie Police District executed a search warrant at a house in Albert Street, Swansea, and arrested a 32-year-old man.
Police seized two marine vessels and other items which will be subject to further examination.
The man was taken to Belmont police sation where he was charged with three offences – cause prohibited Nazi symbol to be displayed in a public place, offensive behaviour and breach of bail.
The man was refused bail and will appear in court later today.
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Good morning, everyone. This is Cait Kelly, and I will be with you until the afternoon.
I am just getting the latest on patient numbers and my colleague Penry will soon bring you the news about the paddle-out at Bondi this morning.
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Vigil in Bondi mourns Matilda
The heartbroken parents of attack victim Matilda pleaded with Australia to “remember her name” as they addressed hundreds of mourners gathered at Bondi Pavilion last.
Kelly Burke was there and has delivered this moving report:
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Islamic State active in the Philippines
We have a full report on what we know about Sajid and Naveed Akram’s trip to the Philippines where it is claimed in reports this morning that they had “military training”.
There is no hard evidence yet that men met any Islamic State groups but Guardian Australia’s world terrorism expert, Jason Burke, has this analysis that although the reason for the Philippines trip remains unclear, Islamic State is active there.
Sajid Akram's family had ‘no knowledge’ of his alleged 'radical mindset'
The statement from Telangana police said Akram’s family seemed unaware of his alleged radicalisation and it appeared unconnected with India, where police had no “adverse record” of him before he left in 1998, Reuters reports.
“The family members have expressed no knowledge of his [alleged] radical mindset or activities, nor of the circumstances that led to his [alleged] radicalisation,” the statement said.
“The factors that led to the [alleged] radicalisation of Sajid Akram … appear to have no connection with India or any local influence in Telangana.”
When Reuters on Tuesday visited “Zehra Cottage”, Akram’s family home in the Al Hasnath colony of Hyderabad’s Tolichowki area, a middle-class Muslim neighbourhood, the three-storey building’s gates were shut. No family members were to be seen.
Most neighbours were unwilling to speak to reporters. One neighbour said a doctor lived in the house, referring to Akram’s brother. His elderly mother also stays with them, he said.
“We heard he [the brother] is a doctor,” said the neighbour, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
“This is a silent and peaceful colony. We have never interacted with them or the family. No one in the colony has any criminal history or has attracted police attention before.”
Australian police said Akram and his 24-year-old son Naveed had travelled to the Philippines last month.
The father travelled on an Indian passport and the son on an Australian one, and the purpose of the trip was under investigation, officials said.
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Sajid Akram was from Hyderabad in India, local police confirm
Sajid Akram, the alleged gunman shot dead by police during Sunday’s attack on Bondi beach, was originally from the southern Indian city of Hyderabad and his family did not know about his alleged “radical mindset”, Indian police said overnight, as reported by Reuters news wire.
In a statement providing more details about the man alleged to have carried out the attack with his son, police in the southern Indian state of Telangana said Sajid Akram, 50, had got a degree in commerce in Hyderabad, the large and bustling tech and pharma hub that is the state capital.
Akram then moved to Australia in November 1998 to find work and married a woman described as of European origin, with whom he had a son and a daughter.
He went back to India six times for family-related reasons such as property matters and to visit his parents but did not return when his father died, the police statement said.
Updated
Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer with the top overnight stories and then it’ll be your morning blogger with the main action.
Police said overnight that Sajid Akram, the older of the two alleged Bondi gunmen, was originally from the southern Indian city of Hyderabad. However, police said Akram had limited contact with his family in India who “knew nothing” about his radicalisation. More in a moment.
It was another night of intense emotion in Bondi as hundreds gathered to mourn the victims, whose named were read out by a rabbi. The focal point was the grief of the parents of 10-year-old Matilda, the youngest victim. More to come.
