Raff Ciccone (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise, with colleagues today, with a very heavy heart. On 14 December last year, 15 innocent people were murdered at a community event at Bondi Beach—15 lives stolen in an act of terrorism directed at Australians of Jewish faith who had gathered peacefully to mark the first night of Hanukkah, a major celebration on the Jewish calendar. It is a day that has carved itself into the memory of our nation—a day of horror, grief and profound shock. That one day has left an indelible scar on our nation.

In the week since, I have met with members of Australia's Jewish community who are now living with the aftermath of this attack. I listened as they spoke about how they are feeling right now. What I heard was grief layered with fear and fear layered with disbelief. People told me that they feel shaken in a way they never expected to feel in Australia. Some spoke about looking over their shoulder when attending their synagogue. Others spoke about hesitating before wearing symbols of their faith in public. Parents spoke about the conversations that they are now having with their children—conversations they could not have imagined they'd ever need to have.

That is the cost of the shocking growth that we have seen in antisemitism in this country in the last two years. Those who were murdered were not statistics; they were Australians gathered in our society and in our community. They are Australians celebrating faith, tradition and belonging. They are Australians who are parents, grandparents, children and friends. They are a part of families, part of their community and part of our great country called Australia. Their faith is felt deeply by a Jewish community in mourning and by a nation that prides itself on multiculturism and mutual respect.

What happened was not random. It was an act of Islamist terrorism inspired by ISIS. It was driven by hatred, and it targeted people because they were simply Jewish. Multiculturalism is not just about food, festivals or symbols; it is about belonging. It means that people of every faith and background can live openly, gather freely and participate fully in our way of life, the Australian way of life, without fear.

When one community is under attack and targeted, multiculturalism itself is also under attack and targeted. What is important to understand is this: antisemitism is real. It is estimated to have grown over threefold in the last two years, and it has real consequences. When it is ignored or minimised, it creates fear, and those who seek to undermine our multiculturalism are emboldened. And, when it escalates, it destroys lives. In its milder forms, antisemitism creates a two-tier society. There are those who are free to celebrate their faith and ethnicity and those who are afraid to celebrate it. That goes to the heart of multiculturalism here in Australia. Antisemitism today is too often disguised by being behind some other language or popular social causes, but, whatever the excuses or the language games, the truth is that what we have witnessed in this country since October 7 is simply a new evolution of the world's oldest hate. The rationale might be different, but, sadly, the targets are the same. Condemning antisemitism must be unequivocal, not just in moments of tragedy, but in our laws, our institutions and our leadership—each and every senator in this place plays a role in that.

I want to acknowledge the extraordinary courage shown that day. There are the police officers who ran towards danger, the first responders who treated the injured and the doctors, nurses and hospital staff who worked tirelessly to save lives. I also want to honour the everyday Australians who acted instinctively to help others. They are heroes, Aussie heroes, who stepped forward in a moment of terror. They put themselves in danger to protect others, the children and the elderly, before themselves. Their courage reminds us that, even in the darkest moments, humanity endures—the very best of the Australian spirit.

My thoughts are also with those who survived. There are those who are injured physically and those carrying psychological scars that will take time, care and ongoing support to heal. And there are those in the wider Jewish community who have been made to reassess their safety in this country. That should never have happened.

The moment before us and the moment that we are here for today reaffirms a fundamental truth at the heart of multicultural Australia: Jewish Australians have the right to live, work, worship and learn in a peaceful and safe way within our communities and within our societies. They have the right to gather openly as a community, to participate fully in public life and to be proud of who they are and the immense contribution that they have made to our great nation. Australia is stronger because of multiculturalism, and we are also stronger because of our Jewish community.

Moments like this test us. We can allow fear and hatred to divide us, or we can stand together and stare it down. We can retreat from multiculturalism, or we can reaffirm it, as a shared commitment to one another. Today, the Australian Senate stands together. We honour those who have lost their lives at Bondi by refusing to look away, by standing with those who are hurting and by committing ourselves to confronting antisemitism and hatred wherever they appear. But we must also recognise that Australians look to their parliament, to this place, not only for words or sympathy but for guidance, for leadership and for action in turning back a tide of antisemitism that has seeped into too many corners of Australian life.

May the memory of those who were murdered be a blessing, and may their families find strength in knowing that a nation mourns with them and that their parliament is resolved to ensure hatred has no place in our country.