Australia will observe a national day of mourning on January 22 to honour the 15 people killed in the deadly mass shooting at Bondi Beach, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced on Tuesday.
“This will have a theme of: ‘Light will win’,” Albanese told reporters, confirming that flags would fly at half-mast across the country. The move reflects the nation’s grief over its worst mass shooting in three decades.
The attack, which took place during a Jewish Hanukkah celebration on December 14, has shaken Australia’s sense of security and prompted intense national reflection on antisemitism. Authorities allege that father and son Sajid and Naveed Akram deliberately targeted the festival at the iconic beach.
The incident has ignited anger over the perceived failure to protect Jewish Australians and intensified calls for stricter gun control. Albanese said the national day of mourning would be a “gathering of unity and remembrance,” coordinated with Jewish community leaders to support victims’ families and those injured in the attack.
“This gathering creates space to honour those who were lost, acknowledge those who were injured, and stand with their families and loved ones,” said the Chabad of Bondi, organisers of the Hanukkah festival. “It is a moment to pause together, express care and solidarity, and reaffirm the values of compassion and faith that carry us forward.”
The shooting has also prompted the Prime Minister to respond to public pressure by announcing a federal royal commission into the attack. The inquiry, the highest level of government investigation, will examine intelligence failures, gun laws, and the prevalence of antisemitism in Australia.
Victims’ families had previously penned an open letter urging the government to take action. “We demand answers and solutions,” they wrote. “We need to know why clear warning signs were ignored, how antisemitic hatred and Islamic extremism were allowed to dangerously grow unchecked, and what changes must be made to protect all Australians going forward.”
Sajid Akram, 50, was shot and killed by police during the assault. An Indian national who arrived in Australia in 1998, he reportedly planned the attack with his son, Naveed Akram, 24, an Australian-born citizen now facing charges of terrorism and 15 counts of murder. Naveed remains in custody.
Authorities are under scrutiny for their handling of the case. Naveed Akram had been flagged by Australia’s intelligence agency in 2019, but the threat was deemed non-imminent, allowing him to slip off official radars before the attack. The oversight has raised serious questions about intelligence monitoring and intervention protocols.
In the wake of the tragedy, Australia is moving swiftly to strengthen firearms regulations and curb hate speech. In December, the government announced a large-scale gun buyback program aimed at removing dangerous weapons from circulation. The initiative is the country’s most extensive since 1996, when strict gun reforms followed the Port Arthur massacre, which claimed 35 lives.
Prime Minister Albanese has emphasised that the national day of mourning is both a tribute and a statement of resilience. “We mourn together, we remember together, and we reaffirm our commitment to safety, tolerance, and the protection of all Australians,” he said.
As the nation prepares for January 22, communities across Australia are expected to come together in reflection and solidarity, standing against hatred while honouring the memory of those whose lives were tragically cut short at Bondi Beach.
