Calls for anti-Semitism action after Bondi massacre

An emergency meeting between Anthony Albanese and state and territory leaders will be held over the Bondi terrorist attacks, amid calls for a report on anti-Semitism to be implemented.

Hundreds of people had gathered at Bondi Beach in Sydney on Sunday for an event to celebrate the first day of Hanukkah, when two gunmen opened fire on the crowd.

Sixteen people have been killed, including a 10-year-old girl, with at least 42 others injured.

Authorities say the incident was a deliberate attack on the Jewish community.

The national security committee, made up of the prime minister, senior ministers, federal police and ASIO, will meet on Monday afternoon.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will later hold a national cabinet meeting with state and territory leaders.

Mr Albanese said Hanukkah "should be a joyous celebration" but "the Jewish community are hurting today".

"What we saw yesterday was an act of pure evil, an act of anti-Semitism, an act of terrorism on our shores in an iconic Australian location," he told reporters on Monday.

Australia will not be divided by hate or violence. We will confront it head on. And we will stand together in solidarity with Jewish Australians and with one another. pic.twitter.com/uCrRcQS22o? Anthony Albanese (@AlboMP) December 14, 2025

Anthony Albanese lays a wreath at Bondi Pavillion

Mr Albanese did not directly respond to criticisms from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who accused the government of "doing nothing to stop the spread of anti-Semitism in Australia".

Special envoy against anti-Semitism Jillian Segal said the messaging and education about how Jewish hatred harmed the community had been inadequate.

"Unfortunately, I have to say that I've been holding my breath, fearing that something like this would happen, because it hasn't come without warning," she told ABC radio.

The prime minister said now was the time for national unity and vowed to stamp out anti-Semitism.

Opposition Leader Sussan Ley urged Mr Albanese to implement all of the recommendations handed down in Ms Segal's anti-Semitism report, saying "we're still waiting".

"We've seen a clear lack of leadership in keeping Jewish Australians safe," she told reporters in Sydney.

"Everything must change from today in how governments respond, criminal acts have been perpetrated and repeated publicly."

Former Liberal treasurer Josh Frydenberg described the terrorist attack as a tragedy of unimaginable proportions and criticised the prime minister's "hollow words".

"Who is going to be accountable for this? Who is going to take personal responsibility for this," he asked on Sky News.

"It starts with our prime minister, and it goes down through his ministers and everybody of responsibility, who has failed in their public duty to protect our citizens."

Foreign Minister Penny Wong spoke to her Israeli counterpart Gideon Sa'ar, who told her of Israel's "pain and sorrow over the deadly anti-Semitic terrorist attack".

The Greens said the attack had become "one of the darkest days in our nation's history and a national heartbreak".

"This reprehensible act of anti-Semitic violence is not who we are," the statement said.