Australian news and politics live: Suspicious item removed from Bondi Beach as Israeli President visits

Israeli President Isaac Herzog has laid two stones from Jerusalem at the site of the Bondi Beach terror attack, vowing that together “we shall overcome this evil”, terror, together.

“Just now, I laid two stones here at Bondi Beach that are from the Holy City of Jerusalem from the land of Israel,” he said at Bondi Beach.

“In Jewish tradition, we place stones on graves to represent the endurance of memory, the weight of loss, and the unbreakable bond between the living and those we have lost.

“These stones from Jerusalem, the Eternal City, the Eternal Capital of Israel, will remain here at Bondi for eternity, a sacred memory of the victims and as a reminder that (bond) between good people of all faiths and all nations will continue to hold strong in the face of terror, violence and hatred, and that we shall overcome this evil together.”

Israeli President Isaac Herzog, First Lady Michal Herzog and NSW Premier Chris Minns have met at Bondi Beach to lay wreaths for the victims of the anti-Semitic Bondi Beach terror attack.

The visit to the site, nearly two months after the horrific attack, was made to pay tribute to the victims of the attack.

They were joined by Waverley Mayor Will Nemesh.

After laying wreaths, Mr Herzog and Mr Minns met the families of Bondi Beach victims.

Sniper guns and specialist gunmen have been spotted in the Sydney CBD as Israeli President Isaac Herzog visits.

An image was posted on X of a rooftop in the Sydney CBD, showing four people and four snipers.

NSW Police have confirmed an assessment of a suspicious item located at Bondi Beach has taken place.

“A specialist search was conducted at Bondi earlier today,” a NSW Police spokesperson said on Monday.

“During the search, officers located an item.

“It has been assessed and is of no concern.”

The item was located amid a very tense Monday in Sydney. The Israeli President’s arrival has sparked a major security operation, and with protests planned, city workers have been encouraged to stay at home.

NSW Premier Chris Minns has taken aim at protest organisers, saying they had been given permission to rally in Hyde Park in the middle of the city.

Police orders have denied participants protection from certain charges, but protesters are expected to defy them when they march on Town Hall at 5.30pm, before continuing on to NSW Parliament on Macquarie St.

“It’s also completely unfair and untrue to say the police and the Government have not facilitated a protest. We have,” Mr Minns told reporters on Monday morning.

“For the protest organiser to say that Hyde Park is out of sight, I think, is completely wilful in the circumstances.

“That’s obviously the park in the middle of Sydney, CBD, and that’s what police have offered, both today and for the last 100 weekends of protests in the middle of Sydney.

“It’s been good enough in the past. It’s their decision whether they want to take it or not, but I don’t think they can bend the facts to their will in court.”

Specialist police in Bondi have swooped on a suspicious item found near the Bondi Pavilion.

Although details about Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s movements have not been made public in advance, it is expected that he may visit the site of the 2025 Bondi Beach terror attack during his five-day visit.

On Monday, a metal item was seen being inspected and removed by police.

NSW Police have been contacted for statement.

Israel’s President Isaac Herzog has landed in Sydney after officially being invited by the Albanese Government.

The President and Israel’s First Lady Michal Herzog touched down just after 8am on Monday.

The President’s visit was planned in response to the anti-Semitic terror attack at Bondi Beach that resulted in the death of 15 innocent people.

The two were greeted by Israel’s Ambassador to Australia, Amir Maimon and his wife, Tal, before being escorted to a hotel, surrounded by an intense security convoy.

Australian public servants will be expected to take part in dedicated training modules about understanding and tackling anti-Semitism.

Officials from the Attorney General’s department told senators before a parliamentary committee on Monday that they hoped to roll out the new training in March.

The Department’s chief people and strategy officer, Bridie Dawson, said it would join a suite of measures.

“The department will also work closely with the APS Commission. They are looking at some specific anti-Semitism modules,” she said.

“I’ve been advised they’re hoping to roll them out in March, so that will be further resources that will be available to the department through their APS Learn platform.

“We have a number of report and support mechanisms.

“We also have a CALD action plan. We also have a cultural e-Learning course, which covers cross-cultural communication and cultural diversity. As of the end of December, we also have indigenous cultural awareness training to complement that.

“The department already has a robust anti-racism training module that staff can access.”

Senator Duniam ducked questions about whether he believed Sussan Ley would still be the Liberal leader in a months’ time.

The close ally of Andrew Hastie – who withdrew from contention amid heightened leadership posturing – had a blunt message for would-be leader Angus Taylor.

“Angus as part of Sussan’s leadership team, as one of our shadow ministers, he needs to – along with me and others – do what we haven’t been doing over the last few weeks, get out and do our job, understand the problems this country is facing, come up with solutions and tell people how they’ll be better off under our agenda,” he told ABC radio.

“I’m not going to look at the polls and pretend they’re not an issue… Always, without fail, every point in the electoral cycle where a party is in the doldrums when it comes to the polls, there is always going to be this level of (leadership) speculation. Again, we can’t be distracted by that.”

Shadow home affairs minister Jonno Duniam conceded that he and his colleagues had been distracted by internal leadership posturing and the split with the Nationals and said that “we deserve the result we get” in the polls.

“Frankly, the last few weeks have been nothing short of an indictment, and we need to focus on our job, get on with it and make that our 100 per cent aim over the next period of time, to actually win back the trust of voters across this country,” he told ABC radio.

He said that as part of the senior leadership team, he shared responsibility and everyone in the top positions needed to “own and rectify” the state of things.