Kate Thwaites (Jagajaga, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Nothing we say today can end the pain of the Jewish people whose lives were upended by the Bondi terror attack. Nothing we do can bring back the 15 people who were killed, people should have had more—more time, more life, more moments with those who now face the bleakness of a future without them. Those moments were stolen, and they were stolen by people who were driven by hatred and by antisemitism, who designed their act of terror to spread fear and to test our trust and our faith in one another as Australians. That is why our words today matter: we are also saying that we will not allow that to happen. I extend my deepest condolences and those of my community in Melbourne to the families and friends of those killed and who are suffering. To all of those people whose lives will never be the same, today we acknowledge that and we grieve for you.

I extend our thanks to the first responders: to the police, paramedics, firefighters, nurses, doctors and everyday civilians who acted with courage, professionalism and compassion in the most difficult of circumstances. Their care and their bravery saved lives and provided reassurance in moments of fear and plain terror. At this difficult time, they remind us that our communities are filled with people who value and support each other—not only those who seek to spread hate and terror.

This was an antisemitic and deeply hateful attack on our Jewish community, and it has shaken people's sense of safety and belonging. It is confronting, it is unacceptable and it has caused real fear and distress well beyond Bondi. People are shaken, they are angry and they are grieving, and rightly so. At this moment, it matters that we are clear-eyed, that we stand with the Jewish community and that we don't look away or soften the truth of what has occurred. It is also important that those of us in this place who are given the task of leadership do this with respect for each other and respect for our communities in this place and outside. It is not possible for us to build better communities if our words are motivated not by speaking about the challenges we face and the work we need to do but by attacking and posturing. Australia is a multicultural country, and our foundations of that country must continue to include respect for each other. As Australians, we are at our strongest when we stand together, when we look out for one another and when we respond to tragedy not with division or suspicion but with kindness and, through that kindness, with strength and solidarity.

In the days following this attack, we've seen flowers being laid. We've seen messages of support and people lining up to give blood donations—quiet acts of kindness and reaching out from strangers to strangers. These moments remind us that, while violence may leave deep scars, it does not have to define us. What does define us is our commitment to one another and to our shared humanity—our commitment to creating a sense of community that every Australian can see themselves in, based on values of respect, inclusion and our responsibility to each other.

Today we also reaffirm a simple but powerful truth: terror and hatred will not succeed in dividing us. They will not erode our commitment to community or to the open and inclusive society that we value so deeply. We honour the victims of this attack by remembering them with dignity, with compassion and with deep sorrow and by standing together in the face of great loss. Today we grieve for all of those whose lives should have been longer. We grieve for all those affected. We stand with the Jewish community, and we reaffirm that antisemitism and hatred have no place in our communities.

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