Anne Ruston (SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Health and Aged Care) Share this | Hansard source

Today the Senate pauses in grief to remember the lives taken at Bondi Beach. We pause for the families whose lives were forever changed in a matter of moments, and we pause as a nation coming to terms with an act of violence that should never have occurred in Australia.

The terrorist attack on Sydney's Jewish community and on all Australians will be forever etched in our national memory. It stands as the darkest day our country has faced since the massacre in Port Arthur in 1996. It was not an attack just on individuals; it was an attack on our entire country. It was an attack on the sense of safety Australians expect in their everyday lives.

Like thousands of Australians, I visited Bondi Beach over the holidays, but this year, sadly, it was to pay my respects to 15 innocent lives stolen. Bondi is one of the most recognisable and loved places in Australia. It's a place that's embedded with a sense of community, of freedom, of joy of living that is at the heart of this beautiful country and what it means to be Australian. It's a physical reflection of our way of life. Standing there, it was impossible not to feel how profoundly that place had been marred by fear and violence and how it will be forever remembered as the site of the worst terrorist attack on Australian soil ever.

It's the human faces that sit behind the headlines and the news reports that bring home the profound tragedy of this attack. These were wonderful individuals whose lives were filled with love, family, community and faith and whose absence will be forever felt. One of those lives was Matilda. Like so many Australians, I found it impossible to forget the image of that smiling face just moments before the attack unfolded. The image will stay with all of us because of her innocence. We saw our own and watched both shattered in the same brutal moment of violence. The grief for that young girl and for what was taken from her family sits heavily with all of us.

Today we remember each and every one of those lives that were taken. We remember Rabbi Eli Schlanger and Rabbi Yaakov Levitan, men who devoted their lives to faith, to their families and to the service of their communities. They were leaders and teachers and a source of guidance for many. We remember Dan Elkayam, who moved to Australia from France only a year ago, full of love and life and adventure. We remember Alexander Kleytman, a Holocaust survivor, who died protecting his loving wife. He had already endured unimaginable hatred, only to face violence again in the country he now called home. We remember Boris and Sofia Gurman, a couple whose final acts were defined by courage and bravery as they tried to prevent this violence. We remember Peter Meagher, a former police officer, a respected figure in his local rugby community and someone who had spent a lifetime serving others. We remember Reuven Morrison, a hero who put himself in the line of fire to try and save lives—an act of courage and selflessness that speaks to the very best of human character. We remember Tibor Weitzen, a beloved husband and grandfather who died shielding a friend. We remember Marika Pogany, known lovingly as Omi, a lifetime volunteer described by her family as 'vibrant and full of life'. We remember Edith Brutman—remembered as gracious, generous and deeply devoted to her community. We remember Boris Tetleroyd, a beloved husband and father taken from his family so soon. We remember Tania Tretiak, a beloved grandmother remembered for her compassion and respect. And we remember Adam Smyth, a footballer, a husband and a family man whose life was cut short for no reason, like the others.

Today is about standing with the families who have lost loved ones, it's about standing with the Jewish community that has been deeply shaken and whose resolve to continue to gather in faith and community remains strong, and it is about reaffirming that hatred and violence have absolutely no place in this country. But, to do this, we must be honest about the motivation that sat behind this massacre—years of unchecked hatred directed towards the Jewish community in Australia. This hatred must not continue to be tolerated; it must be condemned, and it must be stamped out. I hear my Jewish friends say that they are considering moving to Israel because they will feel safer in Israel than they do here in Australia. This must not be the Australia of the future. We must ensure that every Australian has the guarantee of feeling safe in this country, now and forever into the future.

To the families who are mourning, I know that no words that are being expressed in this chamber can ease your pain, but our words and actions must honour it. As a nation, we stand with you, and we must all stand together in rejecting antisemitism in all of its forms. In doing so, we must uphold the values that define our nation: decency, compassion and mutual respect.

May the memories of those lost in December endure in the lives that they have touched, and may this parliament and this country move forward with resolve to ensure such a tragedy can never be allowed to happen again. Today, we remember them. But, behind the names and the stories—the loved ones, the families, the friends, the communities and the lives that should not have been taken—they will be remembered not for the hatred that took their lives too soon but for the love they embodied, the community they strengthened and the courage they showed, both in ordinary life and in those final moments. Only days after the massacre, Rabbi Frankie Salzman gave an incredible speech at the vigil held in Adelaide, and that speech was filled with love and forgiveness, even in light of the tragedy that had unfolded against his people only days before.

Today our deepest condolences are with the families and friends, and we feel their loss, as they will every day for the rest of their lives. We grieve with the families, we grieve with Australia's Jewish community and we grieve with every single Australian who has been touched by this tragedy.

For too long, Jewish Australians have lived with rising fear, hatred and hostility. Incidents of violence, vandalism and hate have not occurred in isolation. The rising tide of antisemitism has been real and it has a lasting impact on the daily lives of all Australians. Homes have been vandalised, synagogues attacked, childcare centres targeted, students ostracised and symbols of hate displayed in public places where no Australian should ever have to feel unsafe. This attack occurred against a backdrop of fear that has been steadily growing.

So today is about standing together and recognising our shared responsibility to ensure our country is safe and every Australian can live free from hatred and violence. Today we acknowledge the pain of the Jewish community—a community that, despite what has happened to them, remains forgiving and full of love. In their own words, light will win.