Pro-Palestinian protests ‘unleashing forces in our community that are not being contained’, Minns says
Minns has been asked about the pro-Palestine protests and if he backs the opposition’s idea of making protesters pay police to hold them. He says:
I mean, my view about these protests has been that it is unleashing forces in our community that are not being contained. When you see people marching and showing violent, bloody images, images of death and destruction, it’s unleashing something in our community that the organisers of the protest can’t contain.
The truth of the matter is – we can’t risk another mass demonstration on that scale in New South Wales. The implications can be seen in my view on Sunday, not just on Sunday – the anti-Jewish, antisemitism graffiti and arson attacks in our community over the last two years.
He says he supports the idea, but it is unconstitutional.
I think it’s good that ideas are being pushed forward. I’m not going to act on that specific one today and there’s a reason for it. I got clear advice is that – is that it breaches the commonwealth constitution.
Key events
Krishani Dhanji
Greens support gun buyback, urging reforms to be ‘above politics’
The Greens have welcomed Labor’s firearms buyback announcement and called for greater transparency around gun ownership and a ban on recreational hunting.
The government announced the biggest buyback in Australia since the Port Arthur massacre, following the terror attack in Bondi on Sunday.
The Greens leader, Larissa Waters, said parliament and the community should “unify” to get more guns off Australia’s streets.
There are now more guns in the community than before the Port Arthur massacre. It’s time we built on the last gun buyback and strengthened our gun laws to keep communities safer – at the same time as tackling antisemitism, racism and radicalisation.
The Greens will help to get guns off our streets, and so should every member of parliament. It should be above politics to stop the hoarding of these weapons that killed so many innocent men, women and children.
There are more than 4m legally owned guns in Australia, an increase of more than 25% since landmark law reforms were introduced by the Howard government in 1996.
Tom McIlroy
PM visits Asio and AFP headquarters
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has visited the headquarters of Asio and the Australian federal police in Canberra, as investigations into the Bondi terror attacks continue.
During the visits on Friday, the prime minister thanked officers for their work in the wake of last Sunday night’s killings.
Albanese spoke with the AFP’s counter-terrorism team, receiving an update on the investigation into the deaths of 15 people, before meeting with Asio director general, Mike Burgess, and Asio officers who were part of the initial response on Sunday night.
Earlier, Albanese and the AFP commissioner, Krissy Barrett, confirmed officers from the Office of National Intelligence had established the shooters had used a regular online video game feed from terror group Islamic State.
Tory Shepherd
Object that struck self-driving Tesla remains a mystery
It did not come from outer space.
Andrew Melville-Smith was in his Tesla on a South Australian highway when something smashed into the windscreen, and it looked as though it had partially melted it.
The SA Museum investigated whether a meteorite was the culprit as there was “no clear earthly source of the debris”.
But today the museum says the windscreen discolouration was not from heat damage, that the shattering of the windscreen is consistent with an object about 2cm in diameter striking it, and that it was unlikely to be extraterrestrial. In a statement, the museum said:
The Australian Space Agency confirmed for the museum that it did not detect any objects entering the atmosphere at the time of the incident.
The identity of the object remains a mystery, however the available evidence does not point towards an extraterrestrial source. The South Australian Museum is confident that the damage was not caused by a meteorite.
More than 200 civil society organisations express solidarity with Jewish community
More than 200 civil society organisations, representing millions of Australians, have issued a joint statement of solidarity with the Australian Jewish community following the antisemitic terror attack on Hanukkah celebrations in Bondi.
The statement expresses shared grief with the families, victims, first responders and the wider Jewish community, and a clear rejection of antisemitism and anti-Jewish racism in Australia. It also echoes the NSW Faith Affairs Council’s call for unity and explicitly rejects efforts to exploit the tragedy to create fear, division or disinformation.
Australian Democracy Network executive director, Saffron Zomer, said the statement reflects civil society standing together:
This attack has caused deep pain and fear. We stand with the Australian Jewish community in grief, love and solidarity. Civil society is united in rejecting antisemitism and committing to deepen our understanding of how such violence arises and how it can be prevented.
Climate Action Network Australia CEO, Denise Cauchi, said the statement shows broad sector unity around safety and belonging:
The Jewish community, like everyone in Australia, has the right to celebrate and express their culture, identity and faith in safety. Antisemitism and anti-Jewish racism must have no place in our society.
Six people safe after boat capsized in Tasmania
Six people are safe after their vessel capsized near Cape Direction, South Arm, Tasmania earlier this morning.
Inspector Nikala Parsons said the group – four adults and two children – activated a distress beacon shortly before 8.30am.
Parsons said:
Marine police aboard the Police Vessel Dauntless responded, along with uniform officers on land.
Thankfully, the group managed to reach the shore at Fort Direction after their 6m Edencraft vessel capsized. They are now safe and warm.
At this stage, we believe the incident was caused by a mechanical failure.
The vessel cannot be retrieved today, and Marine and Safety Tasmania (MAST) has been notified.
Minns has just been asked about these new laws stifling protests. He says:
That’s not our intent, not designed to be targeted at a specific group, but I – I’m firmly of the view that when we get to the point where you see passions enlivened to the point that it can unleash violence in our community, we have to take action.
So it’s extraordinary, it’s under a terrorism designation. I know that people will oppose it. I know that people will say, “It’s a step too far.” I don’t think it is. I think right now, because of the combustible situation out there, if we did have mass protests with violent imagery and chants that we have seen, I think it would rip apart our community.
Chis Minns says pro-Palestinian marches would ‘sow division and hatred in our community’
Minns:
We made it clear there’s nothing we can do about a group of people meeting on a street corner, we can’t do it, other than the powers that’s in the front of a synagogue or a mosque or a church or a religious institution, it’s not possible to do that.
What we can do is stop the marches through the heart of the city to national landmarks which I think would sow division and hatred in our community.
Minns urges people not to ‘cower in the face of terrorism’
Asked if people should be worried about going out, Minns says it’s “a cliche” but not to let the terrorists win.
They want us to not live like Australians. So listen to official communication, but if you’re planning on going out on New Year’s Eve, I think you can show defiance to these terrorists by keep going with your plans and have fun with your family and friends and enjoy our beautiful weather.
I think you saw this morning at Bondi with that paddle-out that there are millions of Australians who are not going to cower in the face of terrorism and that’s a fantastic thing.
Minns says he feels a personal responsibility for the attack.
Yeah, I mean, of course I do. I take – I take a deep responsibility for what happened. The profound responsibility of any government is to protect its citizens and that’s not what happened on Sunday.
‘Extraordinary measures’ required in wake of Bondi shootings, Minns says
Minns has been asked about the pro-Palestine protest, which saw over 100,000 people walk across the Sydney Harbour Bridge. He says his views are well known, and he did not support that protest.
I understand that people have genuine concerns about issues that are happening around the world, have deep and passionate interests about human rights or issues in other jurisdictions, of course, they do. But my concern is Sydney right now …
We are in a situation at the moment where members of our community not only feel unsafe but as of Sunday were targeted because of their faith. So extraordinary measures are required to begin the process of re-establishing trust, not just with the Jewish community, but everybody who lives in New South Wales.
NSW counter-terrorism minister announces gun buyback scheme
The NSW minister for police and counter-terrorism, Yasmin Catley, said there will be a buyback scheme for guns.
We are obviously working on that. It’s not been many days since our terrorist attack in Bondi. But I can give you an indication in Western Australia – they have put $63m aside for their buyback and they have 90,000 guns.
So that gives you – ours would probably be ballpark figure three or four times, perhaps more than that.
Minns has been asked about his 180 on gun control:
There is a very different world between where we are today and where we were before Sunday. We have to change. We all have to change. What we had done is not working.
The number one responsibility of any government is to protect its citizens and it’s a deep sense of responsibility that I feel that that didn’t happen on Sunday.
Pro-Palestinian protests ‘unleashing forces in our community that are not being contained’, Minns says
Minns has been asked about the pro-Palestine protests and if he backs the opposition’s idea of making protesters pay police to hold them. He says:
I mean, my view about these protests has been that it is unleashing forces in our community that are not being contained. When you see people marching and showing violent, bloody images, images of death and destruction, it’s unleashing something in our community that the organisers of the protest can’t contain.
The truth of the matter is – we can’t risk another mass demonstration on that scale in New South Wales. The implications can be seen in my view on Sunday, not just on Sunday – the anti-Jewish, antisemitism graffiti and arson attacks in our community over the last two years.
He says he supports the idea, but it is unconstitutional.
I think it’s good that ideas are being pushed forward. I’m not going to act on that specific one today and there’s a reason for it. I got clear advice is that – is that it breaches the commonwealth constitution.
NSW gathering laws ‘based on public safety alone’
Daley says the minister for police will be able to declare no gatherings where they fear that a public assembly is likely to cause a reasonable person to fear harassment, intimidation or violence.
They could be made for 14 days periods and they can be extended and the areas can be amended as well.
As I say, it’s not to show any one group out or to tell them to stay at home. This is based on public safety and public safety alone.
