NSW Premier Chris Minns' opinion piece on National Mourning Day

Today, Australians pause together for a National Day of Mourning to honour the 15 innocent people killed in the antisemitic Bondi Beach terrorist attack in December last year, and to stand alongside everyone whose lives were changed forever in those moments.

For many families, for the Jewish community, and for the Bondi community, the grief is still raw.

People are still recovering. Still finding their footing. Still learning how to live with an absence that should never have existed.

The theme chosen by the Chabad community in Bondi, “Light will win – a gathering of unity and remembrance”, captures something deeply Australian. When tragedy strikes, our instinct is not to retreat into ourselves, but to show up for one another.

Today, flags will fly at half-mast across the country. Buildings across the country will be illuminated.

Fifteen Pillars of Light will stand in cities and towns, each one a reminder of a life lost and a future taken too soon.

At 7.01pm tonight, Australians are invited to observe a minute of silence wherever they are – a shared pause for lives taken too soon.

Many will mark the day in their own way: lighting a candle, checking in on a neighbour, sharing a meal, or offering help where it’s needed. In Jewish tradition, these acts of kindness - mitzvahs - matter. 

They remind us that solidarity is not symbolic; it is lived.

And to the Jewish community, I want to say, thank you.

You could have shattered into a million pieces, instead your strength has helped unite the nation.

My hope is that tonight sends a very clear message to you.

That you are not alone as you mourn. And I hope you have seen that, in the actions of Australians.

Marking this moment at the Sydney Opera House is fitting and I believe it marks a turning point to restore the spirit of unity that this place should always represent.

We mourn what was lost. And together, we commit ourselves to rebuilding and to protecting the values that define who we are as Australians.