Leaders across both houses of parliament, and all sides of politics, have delivered stirring speeches today honouring the victims of the Bondi terrorist attack and sharing hopes for a future Australia.
The speeches came during condolence motion debates, after parliament was recalled for a special sitting to debate new hate speech laws in the wake of the attack on the Jewish community in December.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told Jewish Australians “you are not alone” and also gave his thanks to the first responders who helped victims.
“While the massacre at Bondi Beach was cruel and senseless, it was not random. Jewish Australians were the target. As we offer our love, sympathy and solidarity to everyone bearing the weight of trauma and loss, we make it clear to every Jewish Australian that you are not alone.
On the first responders, he said, “Their bravery is inspiring, and it was instinctive. They didn’t need to know the names of the people they faced gun fire to help. They did not stop to think about faith or nationality. Their bond was more profound than that. Their bravery was an act of shared humanity and that is the spirit in which Australians have responded every day since.”
Opposition leader Sussan Ley said antisemitism has “festered” in Australia and “fuelled the terrorists on 14 December”.
“Jewish Australians do not feel safe and if Jewish Australians do not feel safe, then no Australian feels safe. You warned of this menacing storm and you said you felt unheard. The Coalition heard you. We must unite as a parliament to confront and defeat this evil. To do so, we must face uncomfortable truths. Radical Islamist extremism caused this,” she said.
Independent MP Allegra Spender, whose seat of Wentworth is home to Bondi, said Australia “will never be the same, nor should it”. She named the 15 people killed and said that all Australians, including MPs, should focus on unity and social cohesion.
“People are angry now and rightly so but in [Rabbi Yehoram Ulman’s] words Australia must become a nation where kindness is louder than hate, where decency is stronger than fear.”
She described leaving Bondi beach with her family just an hour before the attack.
“The care [was seen] in the quiet procession of thousands of people, locals and people who had travelled for hours. School children, sports teams. People are single and in groups. People of all faiths laying flowers to say we are devastated, too, and you are not alone. The paddle out, the beach lined with surf lifesavers. Strangers hugging. Local businesses giving coffees to first responders and flowers to mourners… Our kind melting pot Bondi community just trying to process what went on, with care for one another.”
Spender spoke of Jewish people not feeling welcome in the community, and the extent of security needed for Jewish schools and synagogues. She wants to look to a future Australia where we don’t need such security, where everyone can feel safe.
Mark Dreyfus, a Jewish MP representing Labor, was emotional during his speech, especially when describing those “left behind”.
“For every person murdered their families and friends left behind. A home left quieter, clothes still hanging in wardrobes, photos on walls that will never be updated, children asking when someone is coming home. A seat left empty at the table, a last no longer heard, belonging to one more word, one moment, one more chance to say what was left unanswered, the pain of that absence does not pass quickly. They were parents, children, neighbours and friends.
Julian Lesser, the shadow mininster for Indigenous Australians and a Jewish MP, said Australia is facing a “moment of choice” following the attack. He called out “radical Islamists” as well as neo-Nazi groups and the “cultural left”.
“Today is not about day-to-day politics. It’s about the type of country we want and the type of people we are. The sad reality is that if we do not change – then Bondi will not have changed anything.
Larissa Waters, leader of The Greens, described the “reprehensible act of antisemitic violence” as “not who we are”.
Australia is a multicultural nation that is stronger because of our diversity, not in spite of it. No one in Australia should fear practicing their religion or culture.
“Every Australian should have the right to live, work, worship, learn in peace and in safety.”
The speeches came as parliament prepares to debate laws drafted by the Albanese Government in the wake of the terror attack. Initially hoping to get the laws passed over two days, Albanese has now agreed to split the laws, which will see gun control measures passing with the support of the Greens.
Other aspects of the hate laws, including vilification and intimidation, have faced fierce opposition from the Greens and the Coalition.