Australian PM apologizes to Jewish community over Bondi Beach terror attack

CANBERRA - Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Monday issued an apology to the nation's Jewish community following the mass shooting at Bondi Beach as he announced new laws that will target hate speech.

Albanese said at a press conference in Canberra on Monday afternoon that he feels the "weight of responsibility" for the fatal shooting of 15 people at an event celebrating the Jewish festival of Hanukkah at Sydney's Bondi Beach on Dec 14.

"I'm sorry for what the Jewish community and our nation as a whole have experienced," he said.

He said that his government would work "every day" to protect Jewish Australians and would not let the Islamic State-inspired terrorists responsible for the attack win by dividing Australian society.

Albanese said that his cabinet met on Monday for the second time following the attack and agreed to move forward with a legislative package designed to combat hate speech and its consequences.

The new laws, which will be introduced to parliament in 2026, will increase existing criminal penalties for hate speech, make hate motivation a factor in sentencing crimes, and grant the minister for home affairs the power to cancel the visa of a person who engages in hate speech promoting violence or displaying hate symbols.

Additionally, a new aggravated criminal offense will be introduced for adults who seek to influence and radicalize children.

Attorney-General Michelle Rowland said that 10 of the 120 people convicted of terrorism offenses in Australia since 2001 were children, but that 17 of the 33 people currently before the courts on terrorism charges are minors.

"This unprecedented radicalization of our youth must stop. We will not allow extremists to groom and brainwash our children into hate or terrorism," she said.

Albanese said that the government would consult across federal parliament on the new laws to ensure urgency and unity.