Anthony Albanese flags review into ‘security lessons’ from Bondi attack
Anthony Albanese has signalled a review into the Bondi Junction stabbing attack will be carried out and declined to speculate on if metal detectors were needed at shopping centres.
Anthony Albanese has signalled a review into the Bondi Junction stabbing attack will be carried out to uncover any “security lessons”, cautioning that it was too soon to respond to calls to bolster safety measures at shopping centres after the “extraordinary tragedy”.
The Prime Minister urged Australians to “wrap (their) arms around each other” after Queensland man Joel Cauchi went on a rampage that killed six people at the shopping centre in Sydney’s eastern suburbs on Saturday.
Mr Albanese paid tribute to the victims and commended the actions of NSW Police inspector Amy Scott who fatally shot Cauchi; shoppers who intervened to slow him down; and emergency responders for showing the “best of Australians amid this extraordinary tragedy”.
He declined to speculate on whether security at shopping centres needed to be ramped up, including suggestions to introduce metal detectors, saying that any response must be carefully considered.
“I think now’s the time to express our condolences for those who have suffered,” he told ABC Radio Sydney. “There will be a time for an appropriate, considered response to any security lessons that need to be learnt from an incident such as this.
“An incident like this will provoke a necessary review that should be done in a considered way, based upon a proper assessment.”
Mr Albanese stood with NSW Premier Chris Minns, Wentworth MP Allegra Spender and other political leaders on Sunday to lay a wreath on an overflowing pile of floral tributes to the victims at Bondi Junction.
He also requested that flags should be flown at half-mast on Monday to honour the victims of the Bondi tragedy.
Ms Spender, whose electorate includes the Westfield-owned shopping centre where the tragedy unfolded, said her community was “devastated” by the horror attack.
She said constituents had mixed feelings towards calls for increased security at retail centres, warning that it was important to gain a clearer understanding of what had occurred before taking any steps.
“People have raised that with me this morning, but also in the same breath they said, ‘well look, but we don’t want to be a place where we go through security to go into a shopping centre’,” she said.
“I think we have to go back to the fact that this was a single person operating alone, and there’s no other threat to the community.
“So, I think we just need to understand what happened, why it happened and thoughtfully assess what is needed.”
Jim Chalmers shared his condolences for those affected and commended emergency service workers for their swift response, describing the incident as “devastating, senseless and really quite hard to fathom”.
Opposition immigration spokesman Dan Tehan praised the bravery of Inspector Scott as “unbelievable”. “In our job we come across police officers regularly, and their willingness to put their lives on the line is something that we should never forget,” he told Sky News.
Nationals leader David Littleproud said the tragedy served as a reminder of the “vulnerability and the fragility of life”, commending the heroism of shoppers and first responders who leapt into action.
Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy described the incident as a “heartbreaking and senseless tragedy” which had revealed “Australians at their best”, cautioning against speculating on the killer’s motives.
Labor MP Josh Burns described the attack as “extremely distressing” and expressed his support for the families of the victims.
“We stand shoulder to shoulder with them, that the bravery that we saw from other people in the shopping centre was extraordinary,” he told Sky News.
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