Anthony Albanese has announced the creation of a special honours list to recognise the bravery of those who helped respond to the Bondi terror attack, paying tribute to police, medical staff and ordinary citizens who leapt into action during the antisemitic massacre.
The awards, to be presented next year after consultation with the New South Wales state government, will honour “the best of humanity”, prime minister Albanese said at a press conference on Wednesday.
“We saw it with those who lost their lives tackling the terrorists as they embarked from the car. We saw it with those in police and emergency services rushing to assist people. We saw it with the medical staff and professionals stopping having dinner and rushing to St Vincent’s Hospital or Prince Alfred Hospital or other places to provide assistance. And we saw it in days after as well, with people making extraordinary personal sacrifices in order to help their fellow Australians,” the prime minister said.
Albanese said the honours, to be granted next year, would recognise people for bravery or meritorious action.
The actions of police, medical staff, surf lifesavers and ordinary citizens have received national and international praise since last week’s terror attack. Ahmed al-Ahmed, the 44-year-old father of two who tackled and wrested a gun from one of the alleged gunmen during the attack, was presented with a $2.5 million cheque after donations to online fundraisers poured in from around the world. Boris and Sofia Gurman were killed while trying to tackle the gunmen, while 14-year-old Chaya Dadon was shot while protecting two younger children during the attack.
Over the weekend, Australians nationwide paid tribute to the local lifesavers who’d leapt into action.
“The attack did show us the worst of humanity: hatred, antisemitism, violence. It also showed us the best of humanity: extraordinary acts of bravery and courage, acts of kindness for fellow Australians,” Albanese said.
“I’ve met people in the medical facilities, for example, who had rushed in, some as far as the Central Coast. I met a police officer at Bondi who had just got in his car and driven down from Newcastle. I met another police officer on Monday morning who had clearly worked all night.
“It’s important that we as a nation celebrate our heroes and celebrate good deeds.”
The prime minister said he had recommended governor-general Sam Mostyn extend an official invitation to Israeli president Isaac Herzog to visit Australia next year.
Herzog and Albanese spoke on Tuesday evening Sydney-time, with Herzog speaking of his “profound shock and dismay over the catastrophic terror attack against the Australian Jewish community in Sydney last week”.
“I conveyed my heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims and my prayers for a speedy recovery for all those injured. I also underscored the importance of taking all legal measures to combat the unprecedented rise in antisemitism, extremism, and jihadist terror,” Herzog said in a statement on social media, confirming he would accept the invitation to visit in the near future.
Albanese said it was a constructive discussion, and he looked forward to meeting Herzog during his visit. However, he declined to say whether he had invited Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu – who has strongly condemned the Albanese government over its handling of antisemitism in Australia – and said he hadn’t spoken to Netanyahu since the Bondi terror attack.
“We’ve invited President Herzog, which is entirely appropriate for the head of state to visit,” Albanese said.