SYDNEY - Australians will light candles and fall silent on Thursday on a national day of mourning for the 15 people killed by gunmen who opened fire on a Jewish festival at Bondi Beach.
As flags fly at half mast, millions are being asked to observe a minute's silence for victims of the December 14 mass shooting, Australia's deadliest in three decades.
Candles will be lit in windows and on doorsteps around the country.
Survivors, families, emergency responders, and community leaders are to join in an evening of collective mourning for those killed, titled "Light Will Win", at Sydney's Opera House.
Sajid Akram and his son Naveed allegedly shot into crowds at a Jewish Hanukkah celebration on the Sydney beach, inspired by extremist Islamic State ideology.
Among the victims were an 87-year-old Holocaust survivor, a couple who confronted one of the gunmen, and a 10-year-old girl, Matilda, described at her funeral as a "ray of sunshine".
Despite the dangers of that day, first responders raced to treat the wounded; strangers sheltered each other from gunfire; and shop owner Ahmed al Ahmed famously wrested a gun from one of the attackers.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who is to address the Opera House event, has faced criticism for alleged foot-dragging in combating antisemitism ahead of the attack.
Since the shooting, he has agreed to establish a high-level royal commission inquiry, which is to include examinations of the security services' actions, and rising reports of antisemitism.
This week, his left-leaning Labor government ushered through parliament new laws that seek to tighten gun control and crack down on crimes of hate speech and radicalisation.
On hate speech and radicalisation, the legislation stiffens sentences, sets up a framework for listing prohibited hate groups, and makes it easier to reject or cancel visas for suspects.
On firearms, Australia will set up a national gun buyback scheme, tighten rules on imports of the weapons and expand background checks for gun permits to allow input from the intelligence services.