The antisemitic Bondi terror attack which killed 15 people, including children, was an "act of pure evil", Anthony Albanese says.
Hundreds of people had gathered at Bondi Beach in Sydney on Sunday for an event to celebrate the first day of Hanukkah, when the two gunmen opened fire, with at least 42 others injured in a deliberate attack on the Jewish community.
The prime minister said the day "should be a joyous celebration and the Jewish community are hurting today" and that Australians stand with them.
"What we saw yesterday was an act of pure evil, an act of antisemitism, an act of terrorism on our shores," Mr Albanese told reporters on Monday.
He said it is a moment for national unity and vowed to stamp out antisemitism.
Senator Lidia Thorpe and many other community leaders expressed grief and shock at the terror attack.
"I am devastated by the shooting at Bondi and the horrific loss of life at a Hanukkah celebration. This was an act of antisemitic violence and I send my love and solidarity to the Jewish community across the country," she said.
"I extend my deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of those killed, as well as everyone injured and traumatised by this attack.
"Jewish people deserve to live, gather, celebrate and worship free from fear, like everyone in this country. There is no place for antisemitism, racism or terror in our society."
Senator Thorpe said "many people will be profoundly hurting and fearful" after the horrific crime.
"We must respond with care, wrapping our arms around those affected, and rejecting hate and retaliation," she said.
"Together we must commit to a society where everyone's safety and dignity are non-negotiable, regardless of faith or background. Everyone in this country deserves to belong and to live without fear."
Chair of the Anti-Defamation Commission Dvir Abramovich said what happened at Bondi was a deadly terrorist massacre.
"A Hanukkah celebration was turned into a killing field. This is not just a crime scene. It is a national trauma," he said in a statement on Sunday.
"Families and children who came to light candles were met with murder.
"Jews were hunted and killed because they were Jewish, in public, in Australia, in full view of a society that had been warned."
Local fruit shop owner, Ahmed Al Ahmed, has been hailed as a hero after ripping the gun from the hands of one of the terrorists before he was shot at least twice by another shooter from a nearby bridge.
Mr Al Ahmed, a 43-year-old from the Sutherland Shire, remains in hospital after undergoing surgery, and is expected to have further surgeries.
NSW Police commissioner Mal Lanyon has confirmed the two men who carried out the attack were related.
"The offenders are a 50-year-old and 24-year-old male, who are father and son. The 50-year-old is deceased," he told reporters.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong spoke to her Israeli counterpart Gideon Sa'ar, who told her of Israel's "pain and sorrow over the deadly anti-Semitic terrorist attack".
Mr Sa'ar called for a "real change in the public atmosphere" towards the Jewish community in Australia and urged Ms Wong to take strong action, according to a statement from the Israeli Foreign Affairs Ministry.
Liberal MP Julian Leeser said the Jewish community "known for its courage and stoicism" has been left shaken.
"We must come together, check in on one another, support our Jewish friends and to offer comfort where it is needed," he said.
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