Bondi Beach shooting: Live updates as first funerals for victims begin, new details emerge on Sajid Akram

Foreign Minister Penny Wong says the Labor Government knows it must do more to stamp out anti-Semitism.

“We all understand we need to do more. We will dedicate every resource required to making sure Jewish-Australians are safe and protected,” she told ABC Radio National on Wednesday.

“We are determined to work to bring Australians together. I keep saying this, but it is true. We are stronger when we are more united. And there is much in our community that we can look to that gives us hope and inspiration.

“Consistently, the Government, the Prime Minister, all ministers, including I, have been very clear about the unacceptable anti-Semitism in our society. I’ve made that public statement many times. But as I said to you at the outset of this interview, we all have to do more, and I accept that.”

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says tightening gun laws in the wake of the Bondi Beach terror attack is not a substitute for action on fighting anti-Semitism in Australia.

“This was ISIS-inspired extremist ideology leading to a terrorist act that has resulted in tragic consequences for the Jewish community in Sydney, with an attack taking place at an iconic destination. That is the main issue here,” he told ABC Radio on Wednesday.

“But we can’t get around the fact that also the fact that a fellow was able to get a gun licence, have six guns, four of which were used in this attack by someone living in the suburbs of Sydney in Bonnyrigg.”

The PM said a national approach is needed to impose stricter regulations.

“I don’t want there to be gaps in the system, which is why I want to see that occur. Now, that isn’t a substitute for action on anti-Semitism, but as a common-sense position that we shouldn’t allow just New South Wales to act alone.”

NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon says he expects Naveed Akram, the surviving terrorist from the Bondi massacre, to face questioning this morning.

“Our investigators have been waiting for the effects of medication to wear off and for him to have access to a legal advisor. I expect that will happen this morning,” Mr Lanyon told 2GB.

Akram, who has been in hospital under police guard, woke from a coma on Tuesday afternoon.

The school attended by 10-year-old Matilda, the youngest victim of the horrific Bondi Beach terror attack, has shared a heartbreaking tribute to the girl they remember as a “little ray of sunshine”.

Matilda was one of the 15 innocent people who tragically lost their lives after two gunmen targeted a Jewish Chanukah by the Sea event at Bondi Beach Park on Sunday, December 14.

La Perouse Public School, where Matilda was a student, have described her as the “most kind, caring, and compassionate young girl, who brightened everyone’s day with her radiant smile and infectious laugh.”

They revealed that only last Friday, Matilda was “beaming” after winning a school literacy award.

“Matilda has an incredible gift for bringing joy to those around her,” the post read.

Read the full story here.

The dead gunmen in Australia’s Bondi Beach shooting, ⁠Sajid Akram, was originally from the southern Indian city of Hyderabad, police say, but had limited contact with his family in India.

“The family members have expressed no knowledge of his radical mindset or activities, nor of the circumstances ‌that led to his radicalisation,” Telangana State Police said in a statement.

Hyderabad is the capital of Telangana state.

NSW Police said both men had travelled to the Philippines in November, the father ‍on an Indian passport and the son was on an Australian one.

The purpose of the trip is under investigation, officials said, adding it was not conclusive they were linked to any terrorist group or whether they received training in that country.

Telangana Police said the factors that led to the radicalisation of the two gunmen “appear to have no connection with India or any local influence in Telangana”.

Read the full story.

The first funerals for victims of the Bondi Beach terror attack will take place on Wednesday.

A service for Rabbi Eli Schlanger will take place at 11am at Chabad of Bondi. The surrounding road will be shut due to large crowds expected. The service will also be livestreamed.

Later today, Rabbi Yaakov Levitan’s funeral will take place at Macquarie Park Cemetery in North Sydney.