'Significant improvement' in baby's condition, as coronial inquiry into Bondi attack announced - SBS News

Key Points

• Six people were fatally stabbed at Bondi Junction's Westfield shopping centre on Saturday afternoon.
• Five of the six victims were women, stoking suspicions that the attacker may have targeted people based on gender.
• The offender has been identified as 40-year-old Queensland man Joel Cauchi. His motive remains unknown.

The condition of the nine-month-old baby girl stabbed during the Bondi shopping centre attack has improved significantly, NSW authorities say, as an independent coronial inquiry into the incident is announced.

Six people, including the baby's 38-year-old mother Ashlee Good, were fatally stabbed at Westfield Bondi Junction on Saturday by Joel Cauchi.

were 25-year-old Dawn Singleton; 47-year-old Jade Young; 55-year-old Pikria Darchia; 27-year-old Yixuan Cheng; and 30-year-old Faraz Tahir, a Pakistani national who was a security guard at the shopping centre.

NSW Health Minister Ryan Park said he was told on Monday morning the baby's condition had changed from critical to serious.

"That's a big change and a significant improvement," he said.

Park said he was hopeful the baby could be moved out of intensive care and into a ward in the coming days.

"That would be a great outcome," he said.

"Her dad and her family are receiving significant support, as you could imagine.

"But in the darkest of times comes sometimes the brightest of lights and it's something our whole country was holding its breath and hoping she started to improve, and certainly over the last 24 hours we've seen that improvement."

Flowers at the scene of Saturday's mass stabbing at Bondi Junction in Sydney. Source: AAP / Dean Lewins

Three other people injured in the attack were discharged from hospital overnight, while another eight continue to receive care in hospitals across Sydney.

Flags are flying at half-mast across Australia in honour of the victims.

An online condolence page has been set up for those who want to pay their respects, but are unable to travel to the tribute site at Bondi Junction.

Premier announces $18 million in funding for coronial inquiry

Premier Chris Minns announced on Monday the NSW coroner's office would receive $18 million in funding to establish an independent coronial inquiry into the attack.

"Concurrently an assistant deputy state coroner will be appointed for all forensic investigations that take place during the period of that public inquiry," he said.

Minns said the coronial inquiry would look at NSW Police's response to the attack and their subsequent criminal investigation, as well as any of Cauchi's past interactions with the state's authorities.

Given Cauchi had only moved to Sydney from Brisbane a month before the attack, the inquiry would also examine any interactions the 40-year-old had with Queensland authorities.

Minns said his government was considering whether extra measures were needed to help security guards keep the public safe.

"I've asked for an independent report on the current restrictions in relation to security guards at major crowded centres — in particular, shopping centres and hospitals," he said.

"The government is not considering policy changes in relation to stun guns or firearms.

"We don't believe that more firearms in the community would be a good policy decision, but we are looking at the current restrictions that are in place for equipment, for security guards, and the resulting training that would be required if there was to be a policy change."

'Obvious' women were targeted, NSW Police Commissioner says

Five of the six victims killed in the mass stabbing were women and one was a male security guard, prompting media to question NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb about whether the Cauchi may have targeted people based on their gender.

"The videos speak for themselves, don't they?," she told ABC radio on Monday.

"It's obvious to me, it's obvious to detectives that seems to be an area of interest that the offender focused on women and avoided the men."

Webb further noted, however, that the offender's motivations remain unclear.

"We don't know what was operating in the mind of the offender and that's why it's important now that detectives spend so much time interviewing those who know him, were around him, close to him. So we can get some insight into what he might have been thinking," she said.

"We won't know necessarily, but we have to take a judgement from those who know him."

NSW Police said their investigation into the incident could take "weeks and months", as they sift through the statements of hundreds of potential witnesses and hours of video footage.

Webb said detectives would focus on interviewing the families of the deceased, noting it would be a slow, methodical process, "because they're all in trauma, as you can well imagine".

Fifty additional witnesses came forward overnight. Authorities are urging anyone who hasn't yet spoken to police to come forward.

"We're very keen to hear anything anyone has to add," Webb said.

Cauchi was shot dead on Saturday by a lone female police officer, Inspector Amy Scott.

Additional reporting by Australian Associated Press

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2024-04-15 05:03:45Z
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