An Australian police officer has been lauded as a national hero by the Prime Minister for her actions in confronting and fatally shooting a man who had stabbed six people at a Sydney shopping center.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese praised the officer, stating unequivocally that she had prevented further loss of life in what he described as a "horrific act of violence" that occurred on Saturday.

According to police accounts, the officer, whose identity remains undisclosed, demonstrated exceptional courage as she pursued the assailant through the mall, ultimately challenging and neutralizing him when he brandished his knife in her direction.

Assistant Commissioner Anthony Cooke of the New South Wales Police provided further details, explaining that the assailant entered Westfield at Bondi Junction and began interacting with approximately nine individuals, inflicting harm upon them with the weapon he carried.

Prompt police response ensued, with a single officer responding swiftly to the scene and engaging the assailant under the direction of numerous witnesses.

Describing the critical moment of confrontation, Cooke stated that the officer caught up to the assailant on the fifth level of the center, where he turned to face her, wielding the knife. In response, she discharged her firearm, resulting in the assailant's demise.

A witness, whose identity was withheld, recounted the pivotal moment when the officer confronted the assailant.

"He just started floating towards us and all I heard was 'put it down' and then she shot him," he told ABC News Australia.

"But we were in no doubt that if she didn't shoot him, he would have kept going. He was on the rampage.

"Then she walked over and gave him CPR. He had a big blade on him - she chucked the knife away. He looked like he was on a killing spree."

Eight victims, including a nine-month-old, remain in hospital after the rampage.

The baby is receiving surgery and its mother is believed to be among the dead, according to local media. Police have confirmed that five of the six killed in the attack were women.

The female inspector had been in Bondi Junction conducting routine duties when she heard reports of the events unfolding.

She was the first on scene, police say, and was quickly directed by shoppers to the fifth floor of the complex.

Mr Albanese later described it as "a reminder that those people who wear uniform are people who rush to danger, not away from it".

The head of the state's police force, Karen Webb, also commended the officer's "enormous courage" and said she was now "doing well under the circumstances".

While little has been made public about the assailant or his motives, police have confirmed that the 40-year-old was known to them.

Bondi Junction, which is down the road from the iconic beachside suburb of Bondi, is home to one of the most popular shopping districts in Australia.

And like most Saturdays, it had been packed with visitors, including families and young children, when reports of a lone attacker carrying a "massive" knife spread like wildfire.

As people began to blockade themselves in shops and run for cover, some tried to hold off the assailant.

"I saw this one guy fighting with the killer. He was holding the pole, trying to throw a pole at the escalator," 19-year-old Rashdan Aqashah - who was working in a COS clothing store at the time - told the BBC.

Footage appearing to capture the incident has since attracted thousands of views.

Mr Albanese said that the way everyday Australians responded to the violence in Bondi Junction, whether running towards it or helping to stem the bleeding of victims, was a testament to their "humanity" and "heroism".

A hero

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