Bondi shooting LIVE updates: Albanese’s approval rating plummets as social cohesion frays; Vigil hosted at Bondi Beach marks one week since massacre

Yesterday Australians took time to reflect and try to come to terms with the terrorist attack that killed 15 people at a Jewish celebration on Bondi Beach on December 14.

Here’s what you need to know:

• Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s approval rating has fallen in the aftermath of a government expenses scandal and the Bondi terror attack, as social cohesion frays, exclusive polling reveals.
• Thousands of people attended a vigil at Bondi Beach last night, a week after the attack at the Hanukkah event.
• The emotional evening included speeches from NSW Premier Chris Minns, Governor-General Sam Mostyn, NSW Opposition Leader Kellie Sloane and Jewish leaders.
• Albanese attended the event, but did not speak, and was booed on his arrival and exit.
• Several speakers called for a royal commission following the mass shooting, while Minns apologised for the government’s failure to protect the Jewish community and thanked the crowd who had “reclaimed Bondi Beach for us”.
• Also on Sunday, Albanese announced that former intelligence chief Dennis Richardson will lead a review of federal law enforcement and intelligence agencies to examine their performance in the lead-up to the attack. Former treasurer Josh Frydenberg slammed the review, describing it as “bullshit”.
• A small group of protesters rallied against immigration, with One Nation’s newest recruit Barnaby Joyce addressing the crowd of about 200 in Sydney, despite calls from police and the premier for the rally not to go ahead.

• Pictures of the Bondi gunmen will be plastered on at least 70 mosques in the Philippine city of Davao as local Muslim leaders seek to flush out information about the father and son’s activities.

People light candles while light beams are projected from Bondi Pavilion to mark a week since 15 people were killed in the Bondi Beach massacre.Credit: Sitthixay Ditthavong

Former intelligence chief Dennis Richardson will lead a review of federal law enforcement and intelligence agencies to examine their performance in the lead-up to last Sunday’s Bondi Beach terrorist attack.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced yesterday that the review would be based in his department and be made publicly available when it is finalised in April 2026, staving off the Coalition’s calls for a royal commission to interrogate any federal failures.

Former director-general of ASIO and defence secretary Dennis Richardson.Credit: Andrew Meares

“The Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet will examine whether federal law enforcement and intelligence agencies have the right powers, structures, processes and sharing arrangements in place to keep Australians safe in the wake of the horrific antisemitic Bondi Beach terrorist attack,” Albanese said in a statement released late yesterday morning.

“The ISIS-inspired atrocity last Sunday reinforces the rapidly changing security environment in our nation. Our security agencies must be in the best position to respond.”

Read the full story here.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s approval rating has fallen in the aftermath of a government expenses scandal and the Bondi terror attack, as social cohesion frays and a clear majority of Australians feel there has been a rise in racism, particularly antisemitism, in the past two years.

Almost half of voters say they have been unsatisfied by the federal government’s response to the Bondi shooting, but their opinions of Opposition Leader Sussan Ley have also declined as she mounted a political attack against Albanese over his handling of the crisis.

The findings from the Resolve Political Monitor, conducted for this masthead, underscore the challenge for political leaders in uniting the country while delivering a strong enough response that speaks to community anxiety about the horrors of December 14.

Australians are divided over how connected and cohesive the country is as they reckon with the targeted killing of Jewish Australians celebrating Hanukkah: about 38 per cent of people regard the overall level of social cohesion as good, 30 per cent rate it poorly, and 32 per cent are unsure