Gabriel Ng (Menzies, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

On behalf of my electorate of Menzies, I stand today to recognise the 15 innocent Australians who were murdered in the horrific antisemitic terrorist attack in Bondi on 14 December 2025. We extend our deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of the victims. To those who have lost a child, a parent, a sibling, a grandchild or a grandparent, a partner, a friend, a rabbi: I cannot begin to understand, let alone express, the grief and loss you must be feeling. I can only say that we stand with you, we grieve with you and we commit to uphold the safety of the Australian Jewish community and all Australians. I acknowledge, too, all those who have been affected by this atrocity, particularly in the Australian Jewish community—those who are wounded, those who have been traumatised and those who have lost their sense of safety and security.

We have returned to parliament early to show our unity and solidarity with the loved ones of the victims and the Australian Jewish community. I thank all those across the parliament who have expressed their condolences and support. I'd particularly like to acknowledge our Jewish parliamentarians—the member for Isaacs, the member for Macnamara, the member for Berowra and the member for Macarthur—for their contributions and for the grace and courage they have shown at such a difficult time. The member for Isaacs sharing a Jewish prayer with the parliament was a moving reminder of the promise of our modern multicultural society. The member for Macarthur highlighted the long and significant contribution of Jewish Australians to our country. The terrorist attack in Bondi was made all the more egregious by the fact that it occurred on one of our most iconic beaches on the first day of Hanukkah, the Jewish festival of lights. As the member for Macnamara shared, Chanukah by the Sea was an event that brought ancient tradition to modern Australia and opened it to the wider community. That people can come here and continue to freely practice their faith and share their culture is at the very heart of what it means to be Australian. That is why this attack was not just an attack on our Jewish community but an attack on the fabric of our nation.

I'd like to thank the Jewish community leaders and members of our Jewish community in my electorate of Menzies for taking the time to share your experiences with me, and particularly during a period of grief and mourning. I understand that this has not just been an attack on your community and faith but that the losses you have suffered have been personal—that some of those killed in Bondi were friends and loved ones.

I understand that this has been a deeply traumatic time and that there are those in the community who are angry. I say to all Jewish Australians: know that you are a cherished part of our country and community. Our government is committed to action and to ensuring that the Jewish Australian community are safe and protected; that we come together as a country and that, out of this atrocity, our nation is not weakened but strengthened; that we can restore trust, reinforce social cohesion and send a clear message that antisemitism, hatred and extremism have no place in our country.

In the Bondi terrorist attacks we saw the worst of humanity, but we also saw the very best of those who would call Australia home. We saw it in those who engaged in astonishing acts of heroism: Boris and Sofia Gurman, Ahmed al-Ahmed, Reuven Morrison, Jessica Rosen and many other everyday Australians; in the lifeguards, police and other first responders, who ran towards danger; in the paramedics and health workers who tended the wounded and saved lives. May they serve as an example to all of us here to be brave and loving and to stand together against hate.

In closing, I would like to again offer my condolences to those affected by this attack, particularly in the Jewish community. We stand with you. We hear you. We honour the memory of those lost, and we commit to action so that atrocities like this never happen again. I commend this motion to the House.

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