Basem Abdo (Calwell, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to stand in grief and sorrow with the families and loved ones of the 15 innocent people murdered and all those injured at Bondi Beach on 14 December 2025. This atrocity, which stole innocent lives, was an act of terrorism deliberately targeted at Australia's Jewish community as people gathered to celebrate the first night of Hanukkah. This was a devastating, targeted, antisemitic attack, an attack on our shared values and on all Australians. On the very next day, I stood with members of our Jewish community in Melbourne. I stood with them to mourn, to listen, to grieve and to stand in solidarity. This nation stands with them. Communities right across Australia wrap their arms around them with care, with compassion and with resolve. I joined with the community at the Caulfield Shule to make one thing unmistakably clear: you belong here, never to be silenced by fear or diminished by hate. It should be voice, it should be defended, and it should always be uplifted. Every Jewish Australian has the right to live in peace; to work, to contribute, to worship safely, freely and without fear; to gather in community, proud of who you are; and to be celebrated for the profound contribution the community makes to this nation's strength, its character and its success.

The attackers set out to do two things: to take innocent lives and to pull Australia down a dark and dangerous path, one marked by fear, division, hatred and suspicion of one another. They failed. They will fail. Australians will not be divided or defined by fear nor bend to violence. We will defend the right to live openly and safely, and we will respond to hate with resolve. We will stand today, tomorrow and always with all communities who call this country—Australia, in all its diversity—home.

The evil of antisemitism wounds more than those it is aimed at. It attacks more than that wonderful expression that was put to me by young members of the Jewish community, something that stuck with me—Jewish joy. Antisemitism corrodes trust. It fractures communities. It tells people they do not belong. Once hate is allowed to grow unchecked against one community, it creates permission for prejudice against all of us, which is why we must never forget that Australia is home to all of us. It's a home where people can live openly, visibly and safely; a home where faith, identity and culture are not hidden but protected; and a home where diversity is a strength, with the right to safety, security and belonging. It is unacceptable that fear should shape the life of any Australian or that any of us should be denied this sense of belonging and home. This is a moment that calls for national unity to confront the worst of hatred and division. Let us honour the victims in the way Australians know best: with unity and without allowing grief to harden to fear or division.

We honour the extraordinary bravery shown that night by police officers, paramedics and first responders whose courage and professionalism saved lives. The heroes of Bondi—ordinary Australians who showed extraordinary courage over self-preservation—are Australians like Ahmed al-Ahmed, whose actions saved countless lives by placing himself between danger and strangers, guided by his own convictions and faith. We also remember those whose courage cost them their lives—like Boris and Sofia Gurman, killed after confronting the terrorists as the attack began, acting instinctively and selflessly to protect others.

Bondi Beach has been a place of beauty, gathering and renewal since human footprints first pressed into that sand. It holds a treasured place in the story of this country and in the hearts of generations of Australians. This tragedy will not eclipse the spirit of this place nor the hope and belonging that return with every new sunrise over that shore. This is Australia, a nation built and defined by its diversity, unity and inclusion. May their memory be a blessing.

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