SYDNEY — Australians on Thursday began a national day of mourning for the 15 people killed by gunmen who opened fire at a crowd assembled at Bondi Beach on December 14.
"Today is an opportunity for us to remember and pay respect to the 15 lives," Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told reporters on Thursday.
"It's an opportunity for us as a nation to wrap our arms around the Jewish community because people were targeted because they were Jewish Australians."

A minute's silence, including on the country's main television channels, will be held across the nation just after 7 p.m. local time in Sydney (0800 GMT) when the memorial event begins at Sydney's iconic Opera House.
"This will be an opportunity to just take that minute to really think about what's happened and to pay respects, and I invite all Australians to participate in observing that minute of silence," Albanese said.
Event attendees, including relatives of the victims, will light candles and hear speeches from lawmakers, as well as Jewish prayers and video tributes.
Buildings across the country, including cricket stadiums in Melbourne and Perth, will also be illuminated.
The Bondi attack shocked the nation and led to calls for tougher action on antisemitism and gun control, with Albanese pledging to tackle both.
Australia’s lower house of parliament on Tuesday passed laws to enable a national gun buyback and tightened background checks for gun licences, despite opposition from the conservative opposition.
Lawmakers are also debating separate legislation that would lower the threshold for prosecuting hate speech offences. — Agencies