This is Triple M going right around Australia on this National Day of Mourning. We remember those victims of Bondi, December 14, and we are about to speak to the Prime Minister of Australia, Mr. Anthony Albanese. Good evening and welcome. And so where were you? Do you remember the exact time when you found out the news?
ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: Well, I was here at The Lodge, the Prime Minister's residence here in Canberra, and I was actually preparing a meal for my son, Nathan. He just had a birthday. It was a phone message, and it came through in parts. First that there was a shooting in Bondi, and it took a period of time before it became clear what had actually happened and the extent of what had happened.
MAROON: So, in the last 48 hours, we've seen these hate laws and gun laws. And, you know, I think to a certain extent, whatever you do at this point, someone's going to find a hole in it, some criticism in it. But have we gone far enough with these hate speech laws and these gun laws?
PRIME MINISTER: Look, what we wanted to do was to make sure that we dealt with this, these gunmen had hate in their hearts, but they had guns in their hands. And we wanted to deal with both. We need to shut down the hate preachers. We need to make sure as well that, how is it that this guy had access to six guns? How is it that that happened? So, really practical measures that we've dealt with, with this legislation. It didn't have everything in it that we wanted to put forward as a result of the Special Envoy on Antisemitism's recommendations. But it is substantial reform, and Australia is safer today than it was two days ago.
MAROON: I can't help but feel for the Jewish community, who, I have to say, among the hardest working, most successful people I have met in my you know, 40 years in the in the workforce. I can't help but feel what they have been through, not only since the Bondi thing, but in the years leading up to it.
PRIME MINISTER: That's right. And look, tonight and today will be an opportunity for Australians to stand with our Jewish community in remembrance, out of respect for those who've lost their lives, but also that positive agenda going forward, that they want, that they seek. So flags flown at half mast on buildings around the country. There'll be buildings and landmarks lit up right around Australia, the MCG, the Story Bridge in Brisbane, Adelaide Town Hall, Optus Stadium in Perth, all lit up this evening. There'll be an installation, which is 15 Pillars of Light shining brightly into the night sky at various places right around Australia, including here in Canberra, the Captain Cook Jet there in the middle of the lake, Bondi Pavilion and Byron Bay Lighthouse in New South Wales, Parliament House in Darwin, South Bank in Brisbane, and Surfers Paradise Esplanade, Adelaide Holocaust Museum and the Mount Gambier Civic Centre in South Australia, Tasman Bridge in Hobart, the Town Hall in Launceston, Flinders Street Station in Melbourne, the Conservatory in Bendigo, and Parliament House in Perth, as well as the Town Hall there in Albany. So right around Australia, there will be that. There'll be a call for Australians to have one minute of silence at 7:01pm. And the other thing that people are being asked to do is to consider putting a candle out on your doorstep or window as a symbol of remembrance, of mourning and of solidarity with the Jewish community.
MAROON: Okay, Prime Minister, you got your hands full. We thank you so much for your time, and I think it's a great opportunity for Australians to mourn and remember what happened on December 14. Thank you.
PRIME MINISTER: Thanks very much, Anthony. And it will be an opportunity for us to come together, and that is what makes our country so great, and to remember, as well that, as well as tragedy and devastation, we did see extraordinary acts of bravery from the community itself, from police officers, from Surf Life Savers. We saw at the worst of times, we saw, once again, the best of the Australian character. That's who we are.
MAROON: Prime Minister, thank you for your time.
