Zhi Soon (Banks, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise on behalf of the people of Banks to add my condolences to those made by many members of this House who are contributing to this motion. The attack at Archer Park on 14 December was an act of despicable evil, one of the worst instances of terror this country has ever seen and the worst shooting in nearly 30 years. It shattered the peace of the festive season that so many Australians from all different faiths cherish. When I had the opportunity to lay flowers on behalf of my community at the memorial outside the Bondi Pavilion, the pain and grief were palpable. The community in Bondi is forever scarred by what took place.

While the community I represent in south-west Sydney is in many ways very different to the eastern suburbs, we are all Australians. In times like this, their pain, their grief is ours as well, not least because the shockwaves that ripped through Sydney last December left their mark all over our great city. One of the victims, Dan Elkayam, played football for Rockdale Ilinden FC, a club representing the St George district that forms half of my electorate but also a local Macedonian Australian community. I send particular condolences to the Jewish community not just in Sydney or the eastern suburbs but across the country, including in my electorate of Banks.

In the Jewish tradition, as many have mentioned previously, Hanukkah celebrates the triumph of light over darkness and freedom from oppression. To have that light dimmed by terror is a tragedy all of its own. The sad reality of the situation is that those terrorists went to Bondi to target Jews. This is abhorrent, and we must do all that we can to ensure this is never repeated.

To the Jewish community in Sydney and across Australia, who doubtless are still hurting profoundly, and the loved ones of all 15 victims we lost: my community is with you in your grief and your pain. May all of the innocent lives lost rest in peace, and may the memories of those lost be a blessing to those who remain.

I want to send the thanks of my community to all of those ordinary Australians who took on extraordinary personal risks to protect others—heroes like Ahmed al-Ahmed, who has been recognised across the world for saving lives when he ran towards the gunman, not away, and Chaya Dadon, who shielded other children with her own body during the attack. They represent the very best of Australia. And I want to send thanks to the everyday heroes, such as the volunteer surf lifesavers from Bondi and North Bondi surf lifesaving clubs and Waverley Council's professional lifeguards, who sprang into action to shelter people and render medical assistance, and to all the doctors, nurses and emergency service personnel from hospitals across Sydney who tended to the injured from the event.

Events like those that occurred on 14 December leave their mark on our national psyche, but as our country moves forward we must do so carefully. We must guard against our worst instincts. When we look on our neighbours with scepticism or suspicion we only weaken ourselves. Each time we are confronted with a choice between national unity and division we must always choose unity. We are our greatest as a country when we work together, and this is what we should be doing in response to 14 December.

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