Ted O'Brien (Fairfax, Liberal Party, Shadow Treasurer) Share this | Hansard source

Can I say from the outset to the member for Macnamara: you need not apologise for the beautiful sound from your child. I think it's a sombre reminder to all of us that we are here for a condolence motion and, indeed, we have an obligation to the next generation, so thank you for having your little one in the parliament with us.

I also express my deepest sorrow for the loss of 15 innocent lives resulting from an act of mindless terrorism on Bondi Beach on 14 December 2025. I speak today with a heart that is heavy and with a profound sense of responsibility as a member of this, our national parliament, because, when violence strikes at the heart of any one of our communities, our nation's social fabric frays. In attacking innocent Jewish Australians, the terrorists attacked all of us, for, when Jewish people are unsafe, we are all unsafe. First and foremost, I honour the 15 innocent victims. They were parents, children, friends and neighbours. Each life taken was precious and each life mattered. The absence of each is being felt deeply by those who love them and by the nation that grieves for them. To the families of the loved ones, I extend my sincere condolences. I cannot pretend to understand your pain. To the extraordinary bravery of first responders and ordinary citizens who ran towards danger, I thank you. Your actions reflect the best of Australia: courage without hesitation, compassion without calculation and service without any expectation of recognition.

In the days and weeks since, Australians have gathered across faiths, cultures and communities. Candles have been lit, hugs given, tears shed, prayers said and hands held. These simple acts show that hatred and terror do not have the final word, but love and solidarity do. We have heard the voices of moral clarity, especially from religious leaders, including Jewish leaders who've signalled a desire to respond to hatred and terror with unity and dignity. Rabbi Oshy Goodman from my area of the Sunshine Coast said to me: 'moments like this remind us of the importance of moral grounding and spiritual depth in our society—that when our values are anchored in something higher than ourselves, including responsibility before God and conscience, it strengthens our capacity for compassion, respect, and choosing life'.

In this parliament, through the actions we take, the laws we pass and the inquiries we run, it is imperative that we consider Bondi not as some unexpected out-of-the-blue tragedy, but the consequence of something far deeper and more sinister that has been allowed to fester and become normalised in Australian culture, and that is antisemitism. Antisemitism is a cultural cancer, and the strategies we adopt to try to remove that cancer—the actions, laws, the inquiries—are important. But there is a lesson of history that we must not forget: culture always trumps strategy.

There is only one thing that can trump culture, one thing that can change it, and that one thing is leadership. Protecting our nation and countering hatred and extremism demands not an episodic burst of energy but sustained leadership, and our nation is screaming out for it. Providing this leadership is our responsibility as people elected to this, our national parliament. As political leaders, let us speak openly and honestly about the scourge of antisemitism, the evils of Neo-Nazism and radical Islamic extremists. Let us state unequivocally that there is no place in Australia for religious hatred or political or ideological violence of any kind. Let us actively look for answers, search for ways to ensure that this sort of atrocity does not happen again and defend and promote that one thing that has the capacity to unite us, especially as an increasingly diversified people, and that is a common set of values—values shaped by Judeo-Christian ethical traditions; values of freedom, equality and a fair go; a belief that with rights come commensurate responsibilities, and, where we have differences, they are met with tolerance. These values, right now, are being tested, and yet they have been the moral foundations of our civic culture that have influenced our institutions, our laws and social norms. As they are under threat today, as borne out by the Bondi tragedy, we owe it to not just the victims and their loved ones but Australia as a whole, especially the next generation, to ensure these values are defended and promoted, so they once again can form the moral foundation of civil life in our country.

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