The Australian prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has vowed to introduce tougher gun control laws following the shooting deaths of 15 people at Bondi beach on the first day of the Jewish festival Hanukah.

A father and son were identified as the alleged shooters in the Sydney terrorist attack on Sunday evening that killed at least 15 people, including one child. One of the gunmen was also confirmed dead.

It was Australia’s worst mass shooting since the Port Arthur massacre in Tasmania in 1996, which saw the then Howard government introduce new gun control laws.

Albanese said he would flag tougher laws with state and territory leaders at a national cabinet meeting on Monday afternoon. The prime minister said the proposed reforms would include limiting the number of firearms someone could have and an audit of existing licences.

“People’s circumstances can change. People can be radicalised over a period of time. Licences should not be in perpetuity,” Albanese said.

Albanese said John Howard’s reforms had made an “enormous difference” but “if we need to toughen these up, if there’s anything that we can do, I’m certainly up for it”. He said he wanted to see greater uniformity across states and territories.

The prime minister said the government would extend funding to Jewish organisations for increased security put in place following 7 October 2023, as well as provide financial support for victims’ funerals and visa support for relatives attending from overseas.

Sajid Akram, 50, and son Naveed Akram, 24, have been identified as the alleged gunmen. The older man was shot by police and died at the scene, while the 24-year-old suffered critical injuries and was taken to hospital under police guard.

The home affairs minister, Tony Burke, said Naveed Akram was an Australian-born citizen. His father had arrived in 1998 on a student visa, transferred in 2001 to a partner visa, and had been on three resident return visas following overseas trips.

The prime minister confirmed the younger man had come to the attention of Asio in October 2019 due to his being “associated with others”, but the domestic intelligence agency found “there was no indication of any ongoing threat or threat of him engaging in violence”.

Earlier on Monday, the NSW police commissioner, Mal Lanyon, told reporters that based on the younger man’s medical condition, it was likely he would face criminal charges.

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The premier, Chris Minns, said the NSW government was looking to change gun laws in the state but was not ready to make an announcement on Monday. Minns said he was considering recalling parliament.

“It means introducing a bill to parliament … making it more difficult to get these horrifying weapons that have no practical use in our community. If you’re not a farmer, you’re not involved in agriculture, why do you need these massive weapons to put the public in danger?”

Lanyon said Sajid Akram met the eligibility criteria for a recreational hunting licence. He held a “category A/B” licence which entitled him to possess six long arms, some of which were allegedly used in the attack.

“He was a member of a gun club and was entitled by nature of the Firearms Act to have a firearms licence issued.”

Lanyon confirmed that police had fired a “number of shots” that killed the older man and injured his son. In a statement on Monday afternoon, police said multiple officers exchanged fire with the two men, with two officers suffering gunshot wounds.

The officers, a constable and probationary constable, remained in serious but stable conditions.

Police said 14 people died at the scene, with two more dying in hospital overnight. They said 40 people were injured.

The 10-year-old girl who died was one of four children taken to Sydney children’s hospital following the attack. A 40-year-old man also died in hospital.

Those killed range in age from 10 to 87, police said.

NSW Health said 27 people were still receiving care across eight hospitals on Monday afternoon. Six patients were in a critical condition, with another six in a critical but stable condition. “Some patients have also self-presented at hospitals for care,” the department said.

Albanese said Bondi beach was a place associated with joy and celebrations but was “forever tarnished by what has occurred last evening”.

“This was an attack deliberately targeted at the Jewish community. On the first day of Hanukah, which of course should a joyous celebration and the Jewish community are hurting today.

“Today, all Australians wrap our arms around them. And say we stand with you. We will do whatever is necessary to stamp out antisemitism. It is a scourge and we’ll eradicate it together.”

Minns said there needed to be a time for mourning, and urged anyone who wanted to help in a practical way to donate blood.

The premier said a memorial site had been established at the rear of the Bondi pavilion and he encouraged the public to lay flowers. He said there been a record numbers of inquiries about blood donations.

Lanyon confirmed on Monday that police were not looking for a third shooter.

Lanyon told reporters that the younger man was known to police, but officers had no indication the attack was planned. He said the pair had been staying at an address in Campsie but their residential address was in Bonnyrigg. Both addresses were raided on Sunday. The older man had been in possession of a firearms licence for about 10 years.

Police declared the shooting a terrorist incident on Sunday. Lanyon said police found two “basic” explosive devices at the scene.

“They were found to be active devices,” he said. “So they were taken back and rendered safe by our police, who do a professional job.”

Police later said they had found a third explosive device at the crime scene on Monday, as well as a sixth firearm. “All items seized will undergo forensic examination,” they said.

Albanese said he and Minns attended a briefing with the domestic intelligence agency Asio, the Australian federal police and NSW police on Monday morning.

Minns said the national cabinet crisis committee would meet again on Monday afternoon, while the state crisis cabinet committee would meet daily this week.

Lanyon said 328 police officers would be on the ground in suburbs with significant Jewish populations on Monday under Operation Shelter.

Minns paid tribute to NSW Ambulance workers, including paramedics who treated patients under fire. The NSW health minister, Ryan Park, said police officers had stepped in to drive patients to hospital in ambulances.

The NSW Ambulance commissioner, Dr Dominic Morgan, said paramedics had learned “amazing lessons” from the Westfield Bondi Junction stabbings last year, including the use of “hot zones” to allow paramedics quick access to victims.

“The joint agency approach, the ability for paramedics with the support of police to work in these hot zones, I’m absolutely convinced, contributed to the saving of lives that otherwise would have been lost,” Morgan said on Monday.

Surf Live Saving NSW thanked volunteer life-savers for “selflessly stepping forward during such a serious and tragic situation”, providing first aid and CPR, confirming that no life-savers were injured during the attack.

Police said they had closed Bondi beach and surrounding roads on Monday to allow detectives from the Joint Counter Terrorism Team to investigate, but some people were walking and swimming at the beach early in the morning.

Items left behind by those fleeing the shooting were strewn along footpaths and parks: shopping bags, bike helmets, sandals and boxes of takeaway food.

Runners and dog walkers stopped or slowed as they neared the beach.

The prime minister and the leader of the opposition, Sussan Ley, visited Bondi beach on Monday morning.

The president of the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies, David Ossip, said the attack showed “antisemitism has well and truly found a place here in our beloved country”.

“What we’ve seen has been the logical progression [of] demonising Jews with rhetoric which slowly builds up to acts of violence,” he said on Monday. “There’s been an immense failure and an investigation needs to come to grips with how that was allowed to take place.”

Ossip criticised the federal government’s response to antisemitism over the past two years.

Among those killed was London-born rabbi Eli Schlanger, 41, who was assistant rabbi at Jewish cultural centre Chabad of Bondi; and Alex Kleytman, a Ukrainian-born Holocaust survivor. The Israeli foreign ministry said one of the victims was an Israeli citizen.

Among the injured was a bystander who tackled and wrestled a gun from one of the alleged gunmen.

• In Australia, support is available at Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636, Lifeline on 13 11 14, and Griefline on 1300 845 745. In the UK, the charity Mind is available on 0300 123 3393. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org