Oliver Peterson: Australian correspondent on the ongoing investigations into the deadly Bondi Beach attack

Investigations are set to continue into the deadly attack at Sydney's Bondi Beach - including the killers' motives.

A father and son opened fire on some 1,000 beachgoers yesterday, killing 15 people, including a 10-year-old girl. 

Police say it was a terror attack targeted towards a Jewish Hanukkah celebration. 

Australian correspondent Oliver Peterson says officials will also be looking to toughen up gun laws following the attack.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
International Correspondence with ENZ and Eye Insurance, Peace of Mind
for New Zealand Business. Oli Peterson's with us in Australia. Ollie,
what's the latest on that We've just heard from the
Prime Minister. I know there's been a press conference. Who
what's the latest on this attack in Sydney.

Speaker 2 (00:17):
Yeah, Ryan, good afternoon to you this. I'm just heartbroken.
I'm almost speechless trying to even communicate any of this
year because I never thought you and I'd be having
this conversation about something so callous happening in Australia. But
as we talk, the latest information is that year sixteen
people did forty injured. And we've started to learn more
details about the alleged shooter's father and son, Sajid Akram

(00:40):
age fifty and his son Navid Akram twenty four, revealing
today that the alleged attackers were both here. The son
was actually born here in Australia in two thousand and one.
Sajid Akram arrived here in Australia on a student visa
back in nineteen ninety eight transfer to a partner. These

(01:00):
are in two thousand and one. Now the son, Navid,
who is still Alivening Hospital. He is in Australian citizens,
as I said, born in two thousand and one. But
he came to the attention of asy Oh back in
October twenty nineteen examined. An assessment was made that there
was no indication of any ongoing threat or threat of
him engaging in violence, according to the Prime Minister, and

(01:20):
it was based on concerns about the people he was
associated with rather than direct concerns Harvard about his own character.
According to the PM, no doubt there'll be a full
Frank Sarah investigation about the father and son's movements and
who they have been in contact with. Homes obviously raided
in Western Sydney and Airbnb involved in this as well
in Canterbury, So who exactly put them up to this?
And we now know the worldwide coverage this is receiving

(01:42):
and just the shock and the horror as we talk
today Ryan the Prime Minister moving swiftly to hold a
national cabinet in twenty minutes time, and they want to
try and get some sort of uniformity around gun laws
here amongst the states and the territories in Australia, because
how did the Acram's own sixth licensed firearms and we'll
be able to undertake what they allegedly undertook yesterday in

(02:03):
Bondai Beach.

Speaker 1 (02:04):
Yeah, this is the thing, even though the sun because
they were all living under one roof, weren't they. So
when the checks were done on the dad, can you
have sex guns? Surely someone would have seen, even though
if it didn't harbored the ideology that he was mates
with the Isis guy.

Speaker 2 (02:18):
You know, you'd wonder how anyone in Australia would need
six licensed firearms unless there are a farmer for specific purposes.
And it's interesting over here in Wa, we've been through
a process over the last eighteen months of basically removing
even more guns from the community for these very reasons. Now,
of course, guns are going to get him through criminal activity,
and guns are going to get him through biking organizations

(02:40):
and organized crime. They're like, we understand that, right, but
if you have six licensed firearms to somebody living in
Western Sydney, you'd have to say, hang on a minute,
why does anybody need six guns? It just makes absolutely
no sense.

Speaker 1 (02:52):
Now you've got your opposition leader is you know, she's
got what's his name, Alban Ezy in her site over this,
she's saying it. You know, he's been lax on anti symitism.
He's letting this happen. What's you know, is their political
fallout for alban easy there? Does that stick?

Speaker 2 (03:09):
Think? I think that will be Look, I think Australia
is a very tolerant and open country. I mean, look
at the words of our national anthem, Ryan you know
we are one and free. Bouma's playing to share and
everybody can rejoice. And I think there has been a
softening I suppose of our approach towards you know, one
and all who decide to call Australia home. And we've

(03:29):
been very proud it's been an open door policy when
it comes to migration. But this has got a lot
of people today and you've read it in the column Issues,
you see it on social media, here, it on the
twelf back lines. Today people are wondering, hold on a minute,
what's going on. If you don't want to come to
Australia and you don't want to come to Australia and
assimilate and be part of what is an open and
free society, then you've got to get tough about it.

(03:50):
And I think the sort of Kumbaya approach at the
moment of the alban Easy government is coming into question.
I would suggest there'll be a huge surge here if
the opposition doesn't make advantage of this politically, for probably
Pauline Hanson's One Nation Party. But have a look at
the hero. This is probably in such a dark time today.
The hero of yesterday, that Grengrosser from Cronulla, Ahmed Alhama,

(04:15):
and he's a Syrian, right and he goes in there.
We've all seen the pictures now that tackle that he performed,
that fruit shopping Cranulla will never have another bad day
of business. He's going to be the most successful convenience
or fruit shop owner in Australia at the moment. And
what an act of bravery. He is a hero and
he has shown to everybody else, hey, I love this

(04:37):
place and I want to protect it from all costs
as well. So that's one sort of glimmer of hope
we can take out of yesterday. But you know, just
a couple of weeks before Christmas, as heartik here is
obviously underway just on the postcard beach of Australia. If
not one of the most iconic beaches in the world
that this could happen, Brian, it is just heartbreaking, is
absolutely heartbreaking, a terrible day for this country.

Speaker 1 (05:00):
Ollie, really appreciate you being with us this afternoon, seventeen
away from five Oli Peters in our Australia correspondent.

Speaker 2 (05:07):
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