Australia plans National Bravery award for Bondi Beach heroes

The Australian government has announced plans to introduce a National Bravery Award to honour the heroes of the Bondi Beach attack.

A terrorist attack on a Jewish Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach left 15 dead on December 14, 2025, overshadowing this year’s Christmas celebrations across the country.

In his Christmas address, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced plans to establish a special honour for those who put themselves in harm’s way to help during terrorist attacks.

One such example is Ahmad Al-Ahmad, a Syrian-Australian Muslim, who disarmed one of the assailants with his bare hands before getting shot by an accomplice of the attacker.

Albanese said that for Australia, the holiday season is being defined by a sharp contrast between extremist violence and the best of humanity. 

He said: “We saw the worst of humanity and at the same time, we saw bravery, kindness and compassion.”

The National Bravery Award would honour the ones recommended according to the existing Australian Honours and Awards system; however, authorities have not yet shared a list of recommendations.

In addition to Ahmad Al-Ahmad, several others also faced death as they attempted to minimise the damage and confront the attackers, though they did not survive.