Nita Green (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Minister for Tourism) Share this | Hansard source

On 14 December, the first evening of Hanukkah, Australia's soul broke, with 15 victims that, in the space of six minutes, were taken from their families, from their communities and from all of us forever. And it still aches as we stand here in grief and unity to mourn the victims.

Each life lost was an unthinkable tragedy. From Alex Kleytman, who survived the Holocaust as a young child, to Matilda, a young child herself, whose image stays with me and with many others—just a young girl, sitting with her sister, petting a lamb, face painted and smiling from ear to ear. Australia and this parliament will remember each of the victims—their names, their faces, the love that their families and friends felt in their presence because of their generosity and their big heartedness. This is what we should remember.

The victims taken from us at Bondi will be etched into Australia's history forevermore, because what occurred on 14 December, the devastating terrorist attack at Bondi Beach, was the purest act of evil. What should have been a joyous celebration of faith and light ended in a nightmare from which these victims' families will sadly never wake. Cowards committed a targeted, antisemitic attack on Jewish Australians, and an attack on Jewish Australians is an attack on every single Australian, because there is no place for hate, violence and terrorism in our nation.

My thoughts have been filled every day since with the people impacted by this event, particularly the loved ones of those who died and those who were injured. But, in the darkest moments, we see the greatest courage and compassion from everyday Australians. From the second the first shot was fired, we saw heroes, like Ahmed al-Ahmed, the police and surf lifesavers, who so courageously fought back, running barefoot across the sand towards the sound of gunfire to tend to the wounded—something no ordinary Australian expects to do on a Sunday afternoon nor is trained for. But they did it anyway to protect their fellow Australians. Doctors, nurses, paramedics and ambos dropped what they were doing and ran to work to transport and treat the wounded, and, in the hours and days after the attack, we saw Australians across the country lined up to give blood, because hate is not Australian. Mateship, camaraderie and a willingness to do your bit and help out where you can in a crisis—that's what Australian unity is about. We thank every single hero for their acts of bravery on that day. They saved countless lives, and their kindness endures.

Jewish Australians should never live in fear, and that is why we are dedicating every resource required to make sure not only that they feel safe and protected but that they are safe and protected. We recognise that this is an incredibly tough time for the Jewish community across the country, and I want to acknowledge a Rabbi Ari Rubin and the Chabad of North Queensland, or the 'Chabad of the Great Barrier Reef' as it is sometimes called. He has comforted our Jewish Australians across North Queensland, in Cairns, Townsville and even down in Mackay.

Rabbi Ari is the personification of light. I've known him for many years. He has invited me many times to celebrations and given me the chance to speak. He personifies what it means for light to conquer over darkness. He held a vigil, attended by more than 400 people, in Cairns. We know there's not a single community that was not affected, and that did not grieve, but on that day people from all over the Cairns community came together to support their Jewish friends. Jewish Australians should know that we stand with them, that this parliament stands with them, just as every Australian stands with them today and every single day going forward.