Malarndirri McCarthy (NT, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Indigenous Australians) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to offer my condolences to the Jewish community following the horror of last month's antisemitic terrorist attack. On that warm December evening, Jewish Sydneysiders had gathered in joy on Bondi Beach, on the lands of the Birrabirragal of the Eora nation and the nearby clans of the Gadigal and Bidjigal people. They met at Bondi Beach, a location so many Australians associate with summer fun, to celebrate the first night of Hanukkah with food, music, petting zoos and face paints. But those innocent celebrations were shattered by horror, an act of hate and of darkness targeting the festival of lights—murderous, antisemitic violence targeting those celebrating simply for being Jewish.

I rise to remember those who were taken: Edith Brutman, Dan Elkayam, Boris and Sofia Gurman, Alexander Kleytman, Rabbi Yaakov Levitan, Peter Meagher, Reuven Morrison, Marika Pogany, Rabbi Eli Schlanger, Adam Smyth, Boris Tetleroyd, Tania Tretiak, Tibor Weitzen and the youngest victim, beautiful 10-year-old Matilda. Since the attack, we've seen the faces and heard the stories of each of those 15 people—cherished granddaughters and sons, sisters and brothers, wives and husbands, parents and grandparents. Each smiling photograph is a reminder that they were members of families and communities and that each loss will leave a void that simply cannot be filled. I offer my sincere condolences to the families, friends and communities of those grieving. I offer my prayers for recovery to the dozens injured and their loved ones.

As Minister for Indigenous Australians and as a Yanyuwa Garrwa woman, I offer a particular condolence to our Jewish community. The pain of violence committed against innocent people, targeted purely for their identity, is something First Nations Australians have felt all too often throughout Australian history and still continue to feel in various forms. The intergenerational harm caused by that violence and loss is a devastating reality for a community. I grieve with our Jewish brothers and sisters, and I stand in solidarity with them.

The message of Hanukkah is the triumph of light over darkness. In that spirit, I also honour the extraordinary acts of light that shone in that awful darkness. They are stories of extraordinary selflessness and courage to save lives: Boris and Sofia Gurman and Reuven Morrison, who bravely tried to stop the attackers but made the ultimate sacrifice; Ahmed al-Ahmed, who confronted and disarmed one of the shooters and was shot himself; 14-year-old Chaya, shot while shielding two young children; mother-of-two Jessica, who threw herself over three-year-old Gigi, a child she didn't know, to protect her from bullets; policeman Jack Hibbert, who was shot in the head and chest while getting people to safety; Constable Scott Dyson, who managed to return fire despite critical injuries; and their fellow police officers, emergency services workers, health workers, lifeguards and everyday Australians who bravely sprang into action to save lives in the face of danger.

The triumph of light over darkness—that central theme of Hanukkah—is undoubtedly what we saw at Bondi. It's incumbent on all of us to ensure that the light continues to drive out darkness. This is a time for unity, not division. It is a time to stand together to emanate that light.

We should follow the gracious example of those who lost loved ones in this tragedy—like Ms Lina Chernykh, little Matilda's aunt, who said, 'Take your anger and just spread happiness and love and memory for my lovely niece,' and also Rabbi Zalman Lewis, the late Rabbi Schlanger's cousin, who reminded us: 'The message of Hanukkah is of optimism, of hope, of a good world, of a kind world. The world is a good place, and it's filled with billions of good people. We have to believe that the billions of good acts can dispel the darkness, and that is what Eli would be saying.'

On Thursday, all Australians will observe a national day of mourning for the Bondi victims, and I'll be remembering Rabbi Schlanger, remembering little Matilda, and remembering the brave Gurmans and Mr Morrison and all of those lost in this attack. On behalf of the people of the Northern Territory, we do send our sincere love and condolences. And I'll be remembering that light must always triumph over darkness. Yo, bauji barra.