Andrew Wallace (Fisher, Liberal National Party, Shadow Cabinet Secretary) Share this | Hansard source

In the 13th century, St Francis of Assisi said, 'All the darkness in the world can never extinguish the light of a single candle'. The act of what happened at Bondi on 14 December was an act of profound violence and hatred. It stole innocent lives, shattered families and traumatised a community. It shocked Australians from every corner of our country. I extend my deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of those who were murdered, to our brave first responders, to those who were injured and to all who continue to live with the consequences of that day. No words spoken in this place can ease the pain of parents who have lost children or families whose lives have been changed forever. But it is right that this parliament finally pauses, reflects and speaks with one voice, in sorrow, respect and solidarity.

Bondi is more than a location. It is part of Australia's identity—a place of openness, freedom and community. That such a place became the scene of Australia's worst act of terrorism makes this tragedy all the more confronting for our nation.

This attack was not random, it did not occur in isolation and it did not happen without warning. It came after more than two years of escalating, unaddressed antisemitism in this country, after repeated concerns raised by Jewish community leaders, security experts and law enforcement professionals, after hatred was allowed to become louder, more visible and more normalised. That context matters, not to politicise grief but to honour it with honesty, head on.

History teaches us a difficult lesson: antisemitism never ends with Jews alone. Shortly after the attack, I reflected on words attributed to Martin Niemoller—words that bear repeating today:

Then they came for the Socialists

And I did not speak out

…   …   …

Then they came for the trade unionists

And I did not speak out

…   …   …

Then they came for the Jews

And I did not speak out

…   …   …

Then they came for me

And there was no one left

To speak out for me

These words are a confession, not a slogan. They are a warning about the cost of silence and inaction. Condolence motions are about mourning, but they are also about resolve. They are about saying that the lives lost mattered and that their loss demands more than words. For the families of the victims, sympathy alone is not enough. They deserve answers, they deserve accountability and they deserve to know that everything possible will be done to prevent such a tragedy from happening again.

I want to acknowledge the dignity shown by the families, in the face of their unimaginable pain. Their calls for truth and transparency are not partisan; they are human, they are reasonable and they must be respected. To the Jewish community in Australia, many of whom are grieving, while also living with fear, and some of whom are here today: you are not alone. You have every right to live openly, to worship freely and to feel safe in your very own communities. Antisemitism is an attack on Jewish Australians, but it's also an attack on Australia and 27 million Australians. It is an attack on our values and our pluralism and on the idea that people of different backgrounds can live together with mutual respect. We must be unambiguous about that together.

Today this parliament respectfully remembers the 15 people whose lives were ruthlessly, needlessly cut short: Matilda, the youngest, at only 10; Rabbi Eli Schlanger; Boris Tetleroyd; Boris and Sofia Gurman; Reuven Morrison; Edith Brutman; Marika Pogany; Rabbi Yaakov Levitan; Peter Meagher; Tibor Weitzen; Alexander Kleytman; Dan Elkayam; Adam Smyth; and Tania Tretiak.

Moments like this test us as a nation. They test whether we are prepared to speak plainly about hatred, whether we are willing to learn from history and whether we have the moral courage to act before tragedy, not just after it. The victims of the Bondi attack deserved better; their families deserve better. Australia must do better, and that means all of us. As we honour their memory today, let us commit ourselves to vigilance, to honesty and to the principle that silence in the face of hatred is never neutral. May the memory of those lost at Bondi be a blessing to their families and to all 27 million Australians.

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