PM vows to stamp out hatred as nation mourns youngest Bondi victim

AUSTRALIA'S prime minister yesterday vowed to stamp out extremism as the nation mourned the youngest victim of the Bondi Beach shooting, a 10-year-old girl remembered as “our little ray of sunshine”.

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Father-and-son gunmen are accused of firing into crowds at a beachside Jewish festival on Sunday evening, killing 15 in an attack authorities linked to “Islamic State ideology”.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese promised a sweeping crackdown to banish the “evil of antisemitism from our society”.

“Australians are shocked and angry. I am angry. It is clear we need to do more to combat this evil scourge,” he told reporters.

This included new powers to target extremist preachers and to refuse or cancel visas for those who spread hate and division. Australia would develop a regime for listing organisations with leaders who engage in hate speech, he said.

“Serious vilification” based on race would become a federal offence.