Louise Miller-Frost (Boothby, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

The afternoon of Sunday 14 December at Bondi Beach was a warm, sunny 28 degrees—perfect beach weather. For members of the Jewish community, it was also the first day of Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights. This important Jewish festival commemorates the rededication of the second temple after a revolt and, specifically, the discovery of one day's supply of oil to light the menorah: a supply that miraculously lasted instead for eight days. It is a holy day. It's the day of optimism and hope, of light over darkness. It's also a day of celebration, and the local Sydney Jewish community were celebrating it at Bondi at a festival called Chanukah by the Sea. They were reaching out to the local community, sharing their celebration and their culture. We know that one of the heroes of this tragedy, a Muslim man, Ahmed al-Ahmed, said he was invited into the festival by a rabbi after trying to get into a few of the local cafes that were full.

This scene of joy and community was interrupted by two men with hate in their hearts and guns in their hands. Scenes of families celebrating together and sharing food became scenes of tragedy. Fifteen people who went to Bondi that day—expecting to relax, celebrate and have some fun with friends and family—didn't go home that night. Fifteen lives were lost, their potential cut short, and 15 families and communities were devastated by those deaths; their lives will never be the same. A further 41 were injured and countless others traumatised by what they saw and experienced that day. And communities across the country—Jewish communities and other communities—felt less safe going to bed that night.

This is not the Australia we want. This is not the Australia we value. We are a friendly people. We are a diverse and welcoming people. What happened in Bondi that sunny evening is not the Australia we want; these are not Australian values. But in the midst of tragedy and devastation, in the midst of seeing the worst side of human nature, we also saw the best side. We saw Ahmed al-Ahmed, unarmed, tackle and disarm one of the gunmen despite significant injuries to himself. We saw Boris and Sofia Gurman wrestling with a gunman, trying to disarm him. They paid the ultimate price. We saw Reuven Morrison throwing a brick, the only weapon he had to hand, at one of the gunmen. He also paid the ultimate price. And we saw Alexander Kleytman, a Holocaust survivor, shielding his wife with his body, even as he took the bullets that ended his life. We saw 14-year-old Chaya, who shielded two toddlers with her body and was shot in the leg. There were, no doubt, many other such stories. Of course, we saw countless surf lifesavers, police, ambulance officers and first responders responding to the injured and the deceased even while the shooting was going on. We thank them all, and we offer condolences to the families and friends of the deceased.

This is one of the turning points in the life of this country. As Australians we need to think about the kind of community we want to be. We can be what we want to be, but we need to commit ourselves to making it so. We need to make conscious decisions about the future we want, the future we can work together to create. I want a community where we all feel safe. I want a community where we recognise that no matter our faith, our cultural background, the colour of our skin, our gender or who we choose to love, we all feel safe. I want a community where people of all faiths or of no faith can genuinely express who they are in a public space and feel safe; otherwise, hate has won. And if one of us is less safe, then we are all less safe. The future is in our hands, and we need to be intentional about what we want it to be.

A Jewish tradition asks us to remember the dead by saying their names, and I'll finish on that: Boris and Sofia Gurman; Rabbi Eli Schlanger; Dan Elkayam; 10-year-old Matilda, the youngest victim; Rabbi Yaakov Levitan; Edith Brutman; Adam Smyth; Boris Tetleroyd; Marika Pogany; Peter Meagher; Alex Kleytman; Tibor Weitzen; Reuven Morrison; Tania Tretiak. May their memories be a blessing.

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