Gordon Reid (Robertson, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

The recent terror attack in Bondi was an act of violence designed not only to take innocent lives but to fracture our sense of safety, to sow fear in our public places and to test the strength of our national character. It was an attack on Jewish Australians celebrating—families, workers, visitors—people who simply expected to return home safely.

Let me be unequivocal: terrorism has no place in Australia. Hate has no home here. Antisemitism, racism and all forms of extremism—whether political, religious or ideological—are fundamentally incompatible with Australian values. Violence driven by these forces will never define who we are as a nation. Australia is strongest not when we retreat from one another but when we stand closer together.

In the days following the Bondi attack, we saw grief ripple through communities right across our vast country. We saw fear, but we also saw courage. We saw strangers supporting strangers. We saw first responders running towards danger and communities refusing to be divided. That response tells us something profound about Australia; terror may strike, but terror will never win.

In the immediate aftermath of the attack, we witnessed extraordinary courage from those who ran towards danger when others were fleeing. I want to place on record deep gratitude to the New South Wales police and the New South Wales Ambulance, who acted with speed, professionalism and selflessness in the most confronting of circumstances. Police officers secured the scene and neutralised the threat. Paramedics treated the injured under immense pressure. They made rapid, life-saving decisions in chaotic and dangerous conditions—often at great personal risk—and their actions saved lives.

I also want to acknowledge the doctors, nurses, allied health staff and support teams in our emergency departments who received the injured. Long after the sirens faded these professionals continued to work, bearing witness to unimaginable grief. Emergency departments do not close their doors when tragedy strikes; they absorb it, and they do so with skill, compassion and resolve.

At moments like this, leadership matters. Our words matter, and our actions matter even more. We must condemn terrorism clearly and consistently, while also confronting antisemitism and violent extremism whenever they appear. At the same time, we must protect the social fabric that extremists seek to tear apart. We must resist the temptation to assign blame to entire communities, entire faiths or entire cultures. That path will only lead to further harm, and it is precisely what extremists seek to provoke.

Recently, I attended a Hannukah celebration at the Gosford waterfront with Rabbi Yossi and members of the local Jewish community. It was a deeply moving experience, particularly in the shadow of such violence. Hanukkah is a festival of light in darkness, of resilience in the face of persecution and of faith enduring against overwhelming odds. As part of that celebration I learned more about the dreidel: a small spinning top often associated with children and joy but rich with meaning. Each Hebrew letter on the dreidel represents the phrase, 'A great miracle happened there.' It is a reminder that, even in the darkest moments of history, hope can endure and light can return. Standing there by the water's edge, surrounded by families, elders, children and community leaders, I was struck not by fear but by strength: strength in gathering openly, strength in refusing to hide and strength in choosing joy, culture and faith in a moment when it would be easier to withdraw. That is the Australia that I know.

The response to the Bondi attack has shown that our communities will not be intimidated into silence or separation. We have seen vigils attended by people of every background. We have seen interfaith leaders stand shoulder to shoulder. We have seen Australians reject antisemitism and reject hatred in all of its forms. Our responsibility as members of this parliament is to reinforce those values, to ensure our security agencies are properly supported, to ensure our communities are protected and to ensure that our national conversation remains grounded in unity rather than suspicion.

Terror seeks to isolate, extremism seeks to divide and antisemitism seeks to dehumanise. Community defeats all of those things. Let us honour those affected by the Bondi attack, not only with our words but with our unity, our vigilance and our commitment to one another.

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