Australia will hold a national day of mourning on January 22 to honor the victims of the Bondi Beach Hanukkah terror attack, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced on Monday, according to Australia’s ABC News.
Albanese said he consulted with Sydney Rabbi Yehoram Ulman, who lost family members in the attack, before confirming the date. “This will have a theme of ‘light will win’, a gathering of unity and remembrance, which has been determined by the rabbi," he said.
He added that “flags will be flown at half-mast in all Commonwealth buildings around Australia, and further details will be announced at the end of this week." The government has not yet outlined what the day of mourning will include.
Australia last declared a national day of mourning following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, when a one‑off public holiday was held on September 22, 2022. Next Thursday’s commemoration is unlikely to include an additional public holiday, given the short notice.
Albanese announced last week that Australia will launch a royal commission inquiry into the Bondi Beach terrorist attack in which 15 people were murdered.
"I've repeatedly said that our government's priority is to promote unity and social cohesion. And this is what Australia needs to heal," he told reporters at the time.
The federal royal commission, Australia’s highest-level government inquiry, will examine issues ranging from intelligence failures to the prevalence of antisemitism nationwide.
Victims' families, business leaders, sports figures and leading scientists had signed open letters demanding a sweeping investigation. Albanese had previously dismissed these calls, saying he was focused on "urgent action", but mounting pressure forced a shift.
One of the terrorists, Sajid Akram, 50, was shot dead by police during the attack. His 24-year-old son Naveed, an Australian-born citizen, remains in prison and has been charged with terrorism and 15 murders.
Police and intelligence agencies are facing scrutiny over whether they could have intervened earlier. Naveed Akram had been flagged by Australia’s intelligence agency in 2019 but later fell off the radar after being deemed no imminent threat.