Canberra, Dec 22 || Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Monday issued an apology to the nation's Jewish community following the mass shooting at Bondi Beach as he announced new laws that will target hate speech.
Albanese said at a press conference in Canberra on Monday afternoon that he feels the "weight of responsibility" for the fatal shooting of 15 people at an event celebrating the Jewish festival of Hanukkah at Sydney's Bondi Beach on December 14.
"I'm sorry for what the Jewish community and our nation as a whole have experienced," he said, News Agency reported.
He said that his government would work "every day" to protect Jewish Australians and would not let the Islamic State-inspired terrorists responsible for the attack win by dividing Australian society.
Albanese said that his cabinet met on Monday for the second time following the attack and agreed to move forward with a legislative package designed to combat hate speech and its consequences.