Mum slammed over 'tactless' Bondi Beach fundraiser after losing handbag in terror attack

Tara Burns was on the beach celebrating her daughter's 5th birthday during Sunday's attack, when the alleged gunman, Naveed Akram, opened fire alongside his father Sajid.

The incident saw 15 people killed and a further 42 injured - with latest figures from New South Wales police confirming that four victims remain in a critical condition in hospitals across the state, with six others critical but stable and twelve further patients now considered stable.

Ms Burns launched the now-deleted page in the wake of the attack, with the aim of raising $500 AUS to cover the cost of her mobile phone and replacing her IDs.

However, the page divided opinion, with some users branding the fundraiser "tactless".

"My kids and I were celebrating my daughter's fifth birthday at Bondi Beach yesterday. In the scuffle of having to leave in the terrifying scramble, I've lost my handbag and my phone," Ms Burns wrote on the GoFundMe. 

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"Just before Christmas this is a big financial burden on me being a single mother."

She added: "Any donations big or small to help me replace my IDs and phone would be so greatly appreciated, thank you kindly."

At the time of deletion, the fundraiser had just one donation listed amounting to $20.

One woman declared that she had "no words" after coming across the page while donating to victims of the Bondi attack.

"This person is concerned about losing their handbag during a mass terrorist attack, and not only that, she's concerned enough that she's made a GoFundMe page so we can all support her. What is going on?" she said in a TikTok video.

"There is an ongoing disaster in Bondi currently. People have literally lost their lives. Families have lost their loved ones, and this woman is concerned about her handbag. 

"I seriously have no words."

"God forbid you may struggle financially just a wee bit this Christmas," she said.

Another branded her "a tactless and thoughtless person; her missing bag can't compare to the child who die".

But others came to the mother's aid, with one social media user adding: "why doesn't she deserve the help you never know the situation she could be in".

Another added: "I understand that it's obviously not the utmost importance but true Australians - regardless of citizenship/religion band together in a time like this."

"We don't sit on the internet shaming other people who just experienced an extremely traumatic event - truth is you don't know this woman's story... who are any of us to judge anyway."

It saw another single mum add: "Shaming someone for asking for help because other people went through worse is actually disgusting".

It comes as New South Wales (NSW) police confirmed on Tuesday that they are now investigating the two attack suspects' recent trip to the Philippines, which took place last month.

They also revealed that the pair were likely inspired by the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group.