Returning to the prime minister’s press conference earlier, Anthony Albanese has expressed regret and says he accepts responsibility over what more could have been done:
I, of course, acknowledge that more could have been done, and I accept my responsibility for the part in that as prime minister of Australia.
But what I also do is accept my responsibility to lead the nation and unite the nation. Because what people are looking for at this time isn’t more division. They are looking to come together.
Albanese later said:
Anyone in this position would regret not doing more, and any inadequacies which are there. But what we need to do is to move forward. We are taking action.
The synagogue is not big enough to hold all the mourners at Matilda’s funeral.
People are spilling out onto the small park at the entrance. Matilda’s small white coffin has been lifted into the hearse.
Her family clutch each other and cry as the door is closed.
The hearse cannot move off. There are too many people crowded around it.
A barrier of police stands between the crowd spilling outside and Oxford Street, closing two of the four lanes.
Archer Park reopens to public
Archer Park and the bridge where the shooting took place in Bondi has reopened to the public this morning. The area is still surrounded by black fencing.
People are walking through the area solemnly, and a police officer is pointing out a tree that one of his colleagues shielded behind during the attack. He pointed to divots in the bark where bullets ricocheted.
“Very lucky,” the officer said.
People are standing with hands folded, surveying the scene. An unlit menorah stands in the distance by the playground where a Hanukah celebration was under way.
Property collection centre opened after Bondi shooting
NSW Police has opened a property collection centre at Waverley for members of the community to retrieve items left behind in the wake of the terror attack at Bondi Beach on Sunday evening.
The collection centre has been established at Waverley College Gate 10, Henrietta Street, Waverley.
NSW Police said it would be open from 8am until 6pm from Today until Christmas Eve next week.
Members of the public will not be required to register at the centre, however will need to bring identification documents and any other additional information to assist with identifying individual items.
Members of the public who attend the collection point are asked to remain patient and respectful during the process.
Support services will be at the centre to assist attendees.
Crime scene lifted at Bondi as police operation concludes
The crime scene at Bondi Beach has been lifted following the conclusion of the police operation.
In a statement NSW Police said at about 11.15 am today police released the crime scene.
Police established a crime scene at Archer Park, Bondi Beach, and the surrounding areas, following the public place shooting on Sunday 14 December 2025.
The statement says:
Police have conducted an extensive examination and analysis of the site, which has now reopened to the public.
Members of the public are advised they can access the site to remove their vehicles from the location, however the Queen Elizabeth Drive carpark will remain closed to the public.
Southbound lanes of Campbell Parade remain closed until further notice, NSW police said.
Police will remain in the Bondi area to support the community.
‘Heartbreaking beyond words’: rabbi speaks before entering funeral of youngest shooting victim Matilda
Rabbi Dr Dovid Slavin spoke to our reporter before entering the synagogue for Matilda’s funeral.
Jewish funerals are very uniform. There is always just a simple wooden coffin, a white linen shroud. We come into this world with our hands clenched, we take nothing with us.
However, today is very, very different on so many levels – a child who passes away young, even due to illness, is a huge tragedy because they never got the opportunity to live out their lives and to be what they were, what they could have been.
And the hurt is obviously on those who left behind, but when it’s associated with violence, targeted violence … Matilda’s only crime was trying to come to one of the most iconic places in this country and perhaps around the world, for an event that wasn’t an extreme sport of some sort, but this is a family get-together in the most pristine, beautiful, loving, inclusive way, and for to finish this way – heartbreaking, the family, beyond words.
Slavin said every adult in the country has stopped since the Bondi attack to ask “is this the Australia I want to live in?”.
Albanese: ‘My job is to continue to reach for light’
Asked about the difficulty of uniting Australia amid the anger expressed by the Jewish community, Albanese says he understands that people are grieving:
“I respect that … I’ve had some difficult conversations.” He also said:
My job isn’t difficult here. The difficulty is with the families who are grieving these victims. That it is who my sympathy is for. My job is to continue to reach for light. That is what I will continue to do.
Returning to the prime minister’s press conference earlier, Anthony Albanese has expressed regret and says he accepts responsibility over what more could have been done:
I, of course, acknowledge that more could have been done, and I accept my responsibility for the part in that as prime minister of Australia.
But what I also do is accept my responsibility to lead the nation and unite the nation. Because what people are looking for at this time isn’t more division. They are looking to come together.
Albanese later said:
Anyone in this position would regret not doing more, and any inadequacies which are there. But what we need to do is to move forward. We are taking action.
Federal opposition leader Sussan Ley, NSW opposition leader Kellie Sloane and federal Coalition frotnbencher Julain Leeser have arrived at the funeral for Matilda, the 10-year-old victim of the Bondi beach terror attack.
The NSW premier, Chris Minns, social service minister, Tanya Plibersek, and the Israeli ambassador and Chris Minns have also arrived at the funeral, which is being held at a synagogue in Sydney’s Woollahra.
The family are already inside with Matilda’s coffin. People are still queueing to enter the synagogue and being issued with stickers bearing the name Matilda – the stickers are in her favourite colour purple and feature a picture of a cartoon bee.
Federal parliament may be recalled to pass new legislation, PM says
Albanese has not ruled out recalling federal parliament over the summer break to pass legislation to crackdown on antisemitism announced today.
He says the reform is “quite complex”:
We are open to that, but we want to make sure that we get it right. We want to also consult to make sure that there is broad support across the parliament for this.
Parliament is scheduled to return on 3 February.
PM confirms new laws targeting hate speech and hate preachers
Pressed on accusations that Labor has delayed acting on antisemitism, Albanese has defended his government’s crackdown on hate speech.
We are the first government to legislate on hate speech. We did that. We’ve outlawed Nazi symbols. What we know is that there’s more that we can do.
So, for example, the discussion, which we’re announcing today, develop a regime for listing organisations whose leaders engage in hate speech promoting violence or racial hatred.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: theguardian.com
