Albanese: "to every Jewish Australian, you are not alone” in Parliament tribute

Australia’s Parliament returned ahead of schedule on Monday to pay tribute to the 15 people killed in last month’s mass shooting at a Hanukkah event on Bondi Beach, Sydney. Families of the victims and first responders attended the session, which included speeches and a moment of silence.

The December attack, carried out by two men reportedly inspired by Islamic State, is the deadliest mass shooting in the country in decades and has intensified calls for stricter gun laws and stronger measures against antisemitism.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the early parliamentary session was intended to both commemorate the victims and begin debate on urgent legislative reforms. “We extend our love, sympathy, and solidarity to all those carrying the weight of trauma and loss,” Albanese told lawmakers. “To every Jewish Australian, you are not alone.”

Albanese also announced that proposed gun control reforms would now be introduced as a separate bill, apart from changes to hate speech legislation, following objections from opposition parties and the Greens over combining the measures. The government has also dropped plans for racial vilification provisions after determining they would not secure sufficient parliamentary support.

Opposition leader Sussan Ley criticized the proposed racial vilification clause as a threat to free speech, while Albanese emphasized that the separated bills would allow the government to move forward on both gun safety and hate crime reforms.

Lawmakers had been scheduled to return from the Southern Hemisphere summer break in February, but the tragedy prompted the Prime Minister to bring Parliament back two weeks early, signaling the government’s intent to act swiftly in the wake of the attack.