Minister Defends Penny Wong, as Pressure Mounts on Labor’s Bondi Terror Response

Energy Minister Chris Bowen has condemned Opposition Leader Sussan Ley for criticising Foreign Minister Penny Wong’s reaction to the Bondi terror attack.

Thousands gather for a candlelight vigil at Bondi Beach memorial in Sydney, Australia, on Dec. 21, 2025. Audrey Richardson/Getty Images

Energy Minister Chris Bowen has defended fellow Labor frontbencher Penny Wong after Liberal MPs criticised the response of the government to the Bondi terror attack on Dec. 14.

Fifteen people were allegedly murdered when alleged father-and-son killers Sajid and Naveed Akram opened fire on a Jewish Hannukah celebration at Sydney’s Bondi Beach.