Australian PM announces intelligence review as country mourns Bondi attack

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced that there will be an investigation into the police and national intelligence agencies following the attack on Bondi Beach last weekend.

“Last Sunday’s ISIS-inspired brutality reinforces the rapidly changing security environment in our nation,” Albanese said, using the acronym for the Islamic State group. he said. “Our security agencies must be in the best position to respond.”

A national day of reflection was held on Sunday to mourn the deaths of 15 people killed when two gunmen opened fire at a Jewish festival on Sydney’s waterfront.

Under tight security, a minute’s silence will be held at 18:47 local time (07:47 GMT), marking exactly one week since the shooting began.

Police claim Attack on December 14What they declared was a terrorist incident was committed by a father-son duo inspired by the “Islamic State ideology”.

Naveed Akram, 24, is charged with 59 offences, including 15 murders and one act of terrorism. His father Sajid was killed during the attack.

Albanese said the intelligence review, planned for April 2026, would focus on ensuring authorities are equipped to tackle extremism.

He said: “The Prime Minister and Cabinet will review whether federal law enforcement and intelligence agencies have the right powers, structures, processes and sharing arrangements to keep Australians safe following the horrific anti-Semitic Bondi Beach terrorist attack.”

New South Wales is trying to crack down on hate speech as the government announces plans to tighten gun controls following Australia’s deadliest mass shooting in almost three decades.

As part of a national day of reflection, Bondi was due to host a memorial service later on Sunday, exactly a week after the tragedy.

Earlier in the day, Governor-General Samantha Mostyn spoke at a commemoration ceremony in Bondi hosted by the Australian National Council of Jewish Women, where attendees mostly wore white to symbolize peace.

“To the entire Jewish community, whether in Bondi or across our nation, you are part of this country’s story of belonging and success,” he said.

Australians across the country are still reeling and there is a sense of shock and disbelief that such a thing could happen.

But in some ways, normalcy returned this weekend. The Bondi promenade was once again filled with surfers, runners and dog walkers returning to their normal routines.

While the sombre mood remained, children’s surf club activities, known locally as ‘the nippers’, resumed on Sunday in a sign of the community’s resilience.

Steve Larnach, North Bondi’s Surf Life Saving chairman, told the BBC they were considering canceling regularly held grappling events.

“We were also aware of the sensitivity towards our Jewish community,” Larnach said. “We asked for their opinions, and they were very supportive of our progress, but also extremely grateful for what we were doing.”

Lifeguard volunteers were among the first on the scene during last week’s shooting, Larnach said.

Some surf lifesavers have been hailed as heroes; one of them was photographed running quickly from a neighboring beach with a red first aid kit slung over his shoulder.

“It was really important that we get back to this new normal as quickly as possible,” said Geraldine Nordfelft, who took her daughter to the clamps.

“You have to go back, you can’t stay away, you can’t let fear win. The beach is the Australian way of life and we all love it,” he told the BBC.