Australian PM apologises over Bondi attack, calls for tougher hate laws

PM Anthony Albanese is also pushing for stricter gun legislation in the wake of the nation’s worst mass shooting in decades.Published On 22 Dec 2025Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has apologised to the Jewish community over last week’s Bondi Beach attack, which killed 15 people at a Hanukkah ceremony, and called for stricter laws against hate speech and hardline violence.Speaking on Monday, a week after Australia’s deadliest mass shooting in decades rocked the nation, Albanese promised steps to protect Jewish Australians.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Will the Bondi Beach shooting change Australia’s gun laws?list 2 of 3Praise for people who died while trying to stop Bondi Beach attackerslist 3 of 3What we know about Ahmed al-Ahmed, ‘hero’ who disarmed Bondi attackerend of list“As prime minister, I feel the weight of responsibility for an atrocity that happened whilst I’m prime minister, and I’m sorry for what the Jewish community and our nation as a whole has experienced,” he said.Albanese pledged that his government would work to protect Jewish Australians and their right “to practise their faith, to educate their children and to engage in Australian society”.Attack planned ‘meticulously’Australian authorities continue to investigate the December 14 attack, whose victims included a 10-year-old girl and a Holocaust survivor, as an act of “terrorism”.Police believe suspects Sajid Akram, 50, and his son Naveed, 24, were inspired by ISIL (ISIS), saying the group’s flags were found in a car they drove.While Sajid was shot dead by police, Naveed is still recovering from his bullet injuries in hospital and has been charged with 59 offences, including murder and terrorism.In a court filing, police said the men recorded videos condemning “Zionists” and explained “their motivation for the ‘Bondi attack'”.The suspects are believed to have spent months “meticulously” planning the attack, including carrying out “firearms training” in the New South Wales countryside, according to the court documents.Sajid Akram, one of the suspects in the Bondi Beach attack, allegedly training with arms at a location suspected to be in New South Wales state in this image from a court document released on December 22, 2025 [Handout/NSW Police via Reuters]“We’re not going to let the ISIS-inspired terrorists win. We won’t let them divide our society, and we’ll get through this together,” Albanese said in his remarks.