Prime minister Anthony Albanese announces special honours list for Bondi first responders
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has announced a special end-of-year honours list for those who responded to the Bondi Beach attack.
Today I’ve written to the Governor-General requesting the creation of a special honours list in response to this horrific terrorist attack, for awards to be put in place as part of the Australian honours and awards system. This would recognise those individuals nominated and recommended for a bravery or a meritorious award in response to the Bondi terrorist attack. The attack did show us the worst of humanity, hatred, violence. It also showed us the best of humanity, extraordinary acts of bravery and courage, acts of kindness for fellow Australians.
Key events
The prime minister is asked whether Labor ministers who have been claiming excessive travel entitlements are out of step with the community, following his decision to wind back the entitlements for the families of parliamentarians.
Albanese has written to the remuneration tribunal to review proposed changes, but the Coalition have called for an independent inquiry. He says:
Let’s be very clear. I’ve seen some comments from the Coalition who don’t seem to recognise two things. One is that the system that has been operating is the system that was established in the wake of Sussan Ley’s sacking as a minister, and it is the we have not made changes to those entitlements before now. They are entitlements that were established under the former government and they’re entitlements that were on the basis of a decision, the same system operated on the basis of the Remuneration Tribunal.
Albanese is asked whether he will seek to work with the Nationals and visit rural constituencies to make the case for gun control, as former prime minister John Howard did after the Port Arthur Massacre.
He says:
I’ll seek to work with everyone across the system, but it clearly is not one size fits all either. There’s a recognition that someone who is a farmer on a property might have very different needs from a bloke in Bonnyrigg who got access in the current laws to six high-powered rifles and we’re about stamping inappropriate use. We don’t want to say that, you know, all gun use is the same. Quite clearly it’s not. And people who have legitimate use of guns need to be able to do so, particularly people in our farming communities.
Albanese has not spoken to Benjamin Netanyahu since the Bondi attack
The prime minister has also referenced the visit by Israeli president, Issac Herzog, who will travel Australia early in the new year as a formal state visit.
He says he will meet with Herzog when he visits: “I’ve met him personally a number of times before, and I will certainly be welcoming him here and meeting with him when he is here.”
Asked if he has spoken since 14 December with the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, who criticised him following the attack, Albanese says he has not. He does not commit to inviting Netanyahu to Australia.
I don’t respond to those issues and I don’t think this is a time for any partisan politics. We’ve invited President Herzog, which is entirely appropriate for the head of state to visit.
Albanese says the list, which would be similar to those made after the Bali bombings and the downing of flight MH17, would honour “the best of the Australian character”.
We saw that on that day. We saw it with those who lost their lives tackling the [alleged gunmen] as they embarked from the car. We saw it with those in police and emergency services rushing to assist people. We saw it with the medical staff and professionals stopping having dinner and rushing to St Vincent’s Hospital or Prince Alfred Hospital or other places to provide assistance. And we saw it in days after as well, with people making extraordinary personal sacrifices in order to help their fellow Australians.
Prime minister Anthony Albanese announces special honours list for Bondi first responders
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has announced a special end-of-year honours list for those who responded to the Bondi Beach attack.
Today I’ve written to the Governor-General requesting the creation of a special honours list in response to this horrific terrorist attack, for awards to be put in place as part of the Australian honours and awards system. This would recognise those individuals nominated and recommended for a bravery or a meritorious award in response to the Bondi terrorist attack. The attack did show us the worst of humanity, hatred, violence. It also showed us the best of humanity, extraordinary acts of bravery and courage, acts of kindness for fellow Australians.
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, is addressing media. We will bring you live updates.
High court challenge to Northern Territory bail laws
The North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency (NAAJA) has filed a constitutional challenge to the Northern Territory’s recent bail laws in the high court.
In a statement today, the NAAJA said they challenging the laws on the basis they “constitute a punishment before a person has had a fair trial or been found guilty or not guilty”.
The NT’s Bail and Youth Justice Legislation Amendment Act, which began in May, requires a judge to have a “high degree of confidence” that a person applying for bail will not commit a serious offence or endanger the community.
The NAAJA chairperson, Theresa Roe, said the laws mean “mean more and more Aboriginal people in the NT are being locked up when they haven’t been convicted of any crime”.
NAAJA sees many people who have been sent to prison because of these laws who have later had their charges withdrawn, essentially serving time for crimes they have not committed.
NSW Greens move successful late-night amendment to gun control laws
Anne Davies
The NSW lower house will reconvene today to approve the final version of the terrorism and other offences amendment bill, which tightens up gun laws and allows police to restrict protests for up to three months after a terrorist incident.
The Greens successfully moved an amendment overnight in the upper house which goes directly to what we know about the alleged gunmen, namely that one had been on an Asio watch list and lived with his father at a house in Bonnyrigg.
The amendment says the police commissioner must be satisfied before he grants a gun licence that the applicant “has never been investigated by a Commonwealth or state law enforcement or intelligence agency for terrorism-related offences or for association with members of a proscribed terrorist organisation”.
The commissioner must also be satisfied an applicant “is not an associate or does not reside at the same residential dwelling as someone who has been investigated by a Commonwealth or state law enforcement or intelligence agency for terrorism-related offences, or for associating with members of a prescribed terrorist organisation”.
Police say 18 people charged with antisocial offences since Bondi attack
Police say 18 people have been charged in NSW with offences under antisemitism and antisocial behaviour taskforce Operation Shelter since the Bondi terror attack.
In a statement today, NSW police said Operation Shelter, which was established in October 2023 and received an increase in support and resources after the attack, had conducted more than 2,600 patrols across 3,200 police shifts since 14 December.
The 18 people charged with 34 offences associated with Operation Shelter include a 26-year-old woman charged on Monday after allegedly making an offensive phone call to an eastern suburbs business operator. She has been granted bail to appear in local court in January.
A 20-year-old man has been charged in relation to a social media post which allegedly called for protesters to attend a beach in Sydney’s south later this week with the purpose of inciting violence. He was refused bail to appear at local court earlier this week.
A 55-year-old man has been charged after he was arrested for allegedly yelling offensive phrases on Campbell Parade in Bondi on Sunday. He was refused bail to appeal before local court this week.
A 39-year-old man has been charged after he approached a participant holding a flag at a pro-Palestine protest at Sydney’s Town Hall on Monday and allegedly intimidated the man. He was granted bail to appear before local court in January.
Tributes flow for former Liberal MP Katie Allen
As we reported earlier, the former federal Liberal MP Katie Allen has died aged 59.
Tributes to the popular MP poured in from across the political spectrum, led by the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, and the opposition leader, Sussan Ley, and former colleagues Peter Dutton, Josh Frydenberg and Scott Morrison.
In a message on social media, Albanese said Allen had “dedicated her life, her talents and her courage to making our nation a better place”.
Ley described her as a “trailblazer”, paying tribute to her “exceptional intellect, courage and warmth”.
Morrison, who was prime minister during Allen’s term in parliament, praised her “extraordinary talents, passion and love”.
“Her focus was always on the people she was trying to help and support, whom she kept firmly in her gaze. Thank you for all your dedicated service Katie. She will be greatly missed,” he said on social media.
You can read more tributes here:
The Sydney Harbour Bridge will be lit up with the word ‘Peace’ on New Year’s Eve, Australian Associated Press has reported.
Shortly before 9pm, the Sydney Harbour Bridge pylons will shine white with the image of a dove and the single word “Peace”.
At 11pm the bridge will be illuminated white as a minute’s silence is held, again with the word ‘Peace’ again lit up.
Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore said this year’s event would demonstrate to the world that the city stood together as one community that “will not let this hateful act of terror divide us”.
“At 11pm I invite everyone to pause and shine a torch light, to show the Jewish community that we stand with them, and that we reject violence, fear and antisemitism,” she said in a statement.
The bridge will also be illuminated blue at 10pm in recognition of the event’s official charity partner, mental health agency Beyond Blue.
Update on 12 victims of Bondi terror attack still in hospital
NSW Health has provided another update on the 12 victims of the Bondi mass shooting who remain in hospitals in Sydney.
Earlier we reported that there had been a worsening in the condition of one patient, with five people, up from four, in a critical but stable condition, and seven in a stable condition, as of 8pm last night.
In an update at 7.30am this morning, NSW Health have said that four people are now in a critical but stable condition, one at St George hospital and three at St Vincent’s hospital. Eight people are in a stable condition across Prince of Wales, St George, St Vincent’s, Royal Prince Alfred and Royal North Shore hospitals.
Poll shows Australians looking for reassurance, not point-scoring
A leading pollster says Australians are looking for reassurance from political leaders after the Bondi Beach attack and not partisan point-scoring, Australian Associated Press is reporting.
Hopes of a bipartisan response to the alleged killing of 15 people by two gunmen at a Jewish festival in Sydney have evaporated with the federal opposition taking aim at the government for failing to stamp out antisemitism.
Having also been roundly criticised by the Jewish community, Anthony Albanese’s net performance rating dropped 15 points to negative nine after the massacre, according to a Resolve poll published in Nine newspapers.
His net likeability fell 14 points to negative five.
Sussan Ley’s performance rating dropped seven points to negative four, while her likeability dropped from eight to one after her politically charged statements against Labor and Albanese.
“Australians don’t want a partisan political debate on this, they want a response that’s unified, that reassures them they’re going to be safe,” pollster Kos Samaras said.
Australia experiences deadliest year on roads in more than a decade
Annual road safety data from the National Road Safety Hub shows 1,332 people have died on Australian roads in the 12 months to November, a 3% increase on last year, Australian Associated Press has reported.
The figure exceeds the 1,300 people killed on the roads for all of 2024 and is the worst since 2010 when 1,353 deaths were recorded.
Australia’s road toll peak remains 1,970 with 3,798 fatalities, prompting a national rethink on road safety and the introduction of mandatory seatbelts and child restraints.
NSW had the most deaths to the end of November with 361, an increase of 10.7%, while fatalities also increased in Queensland, Western Australia and Tasmania.
Victoria, South Australia, the Northern Territory and the ACT all managed to cut the number of deaths.
Liberal senator pays tribute to former colleague’s ‘joy of life’
Federal Liberal senator James McGrath has also paid tribute to former Liberal MP Katie Allen, who has died aged 59.
He tells ABC Radio National that “to know Katie was to love Katie and to love life.”
She was one of those people who just brought in a spirit of deep thought and a spirit of just the joy of life.
But to underestimate Katie, you did so at your own risk. She had a very strong – she had an iron fist hidden by a velvet glove, and Australia is poorer with her loss, and parliament was poorer when, sadly, she lost her seat in 2022 and didn’t win earlier this year.
She’ll be missed, and we all loved her.
Burke defends handling of travel entitlement controversies
Burke is also asked to respond to Coalition criticism after the news the prime minister has written to the remuneration tribunal to review changes to wind back travel entitlements for the families of parliamentarians.
The Coalition has said changes to rules do not remove the need for a full investigation into whether Labor ministers who claimed of thousands of dollars in taxpayer-funded travel entitlements breached the ministerial code.
Burke says:
I do not want a world where politicians make their own decision about what budgets they’re given and what so-called entitlements they have. These decisions must be made independently, and that’s the exact process that’s been followed.
Burke is followed by Liberal senator James McGrath. Challenged on Coalition travel spending, McGrath reiterates calls for an independent inquiry.
I think there is a difference between, say, Anika Wells going to a birthday party in Adelaide on taxpayer dime, compared to any issues that may be raised against Coalition members. But what we have consistently said from the beginning: let’s sit down, do this in a bipartisan manner. Let’s make sure that the taxpayers can see that their money is being spent with respect. We haven’t seen that from the government.
Burke defends decision not to launch federal royal commission on Bondi attack
Burke has also discussed the government’s plans to accelerate the rollout of the National Firearms Register, which the Albanese government committed to establishing in 2023. He says drafting instructions for some gun laws have been issued to states and territories today.
Burke is also played a clip from the former home affairs department secretary Mike Pezzullo, who has called for a federal royal commission into the Bondi attack, saying it could be done at speed.
Burke, defending the prime minister’s decision to appoint former Asio boss Dennis Richardson to lead a review of the intelligence agencies instead, says:
I’m not sure if there’s been a royal commission in history that has gone at the pace that he’s [Pezzullo] just described. The experience that we’ve had with every royal commission is they take years, they always ask for extensions of time, and the best way to act with absolute urgency is not to have something chaired by a retired judge – is to have something chaired by a national security expert. Now, Dennis Richardson has the complete respect across the national security community in Australia.
Tony Burke says government ‘moving as quickly as we can’ on hate crimes
The home affairs minister, Tony Burke, is speaking to ABC Radio National about the National Hate Crimes and Incidents Database, which has been launched today after the Bondi shooting.
The national database will collate information on charges for offences under hate crimes legislation across all Australian jurisdictions.
Asked if this information is not already shared, Burke says:
Not in this sort of way. So this came as a recommendation out of national cabinet. And some states and jurisdictions had a formal process of making information available. But to be able to go to one place and to be able to start to see what’s happening across the country, that’s something that is only possible because of this new work that’s been done.
Asked if the government should have been quicker to implemented the database, which state and territory leaders committed to in January, Burke says:
Everything that we are doing in this area, I wish it had been in place 20 years ago. Everything. And so we are moving as quickly as we can. With anything where there’s an IT build, there are some movable parts where there are limits on how fast you can go.
