Penny Allman-Payne (Queensland, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

Like my colleagues who have spoken before me, I rise today to pay my respects to the 15 people who tragically lost their lives in the horrific terrorist attack at Bondi Beach on 14 December 2025 and extend my deepest sympathies to their families, friends and loved ones who are now carrying an unimaginable grief. I also wish to extend my sympathy and solidarity to Australia's Jewish community, who were deliberately targeted in this antisemitic act of terror while gathering to celebrate the first night of Hanukkah, a time that should have been marked by light, faith, community and hope. Instead, an evening of celebration was turned into one of fear, devastation and profound loss. That violence was intended to not just take lives but intimidate, terrorise and tell a community that they do not belong. Jewish Australians do belong, and they have every right to live, worship, celebrate and gather in safety and peace in this country.

My thoughts are also with the many people who were injured and with those whose wounds may not be visible but will endure for years to come—the witnesses, the survivors, the children and families whose sense of safety was shattered that night. Trauma does not end when the headlines fade, and our responsibility to support those affected must not end either.

In the midst of this unspeakable horror, there were also extraordinary acts of courage and selflessness. Boris and Sofia Gurman, two North Bondi locals, tried to stop one of the attackers before a single bullet could be fired. Ahmed al-Ahmed disarmed an attacker just metres away from where the Gurmans were killed. Their bravery and the bravery of countless others who shielded loved ones, protected strangers or tried to intervene undoubtedly saved lives. These people stepped up in extreme circumstances and chose compassion and courage over fear to save and protect their fellow citizens. I also want to thank the police officers, the first responders and healthcare workers who ran towards danger, who acted with professionalism and composure under unimaginable pressure and whose quick actions saved lives. We owe them an enormous debt of gratitude.

Condolence motions are about remembrance, but they must also be about resolve. If we truly wish to honour the lives lost at Bondi, we must have the courage to confront the hatred that made this attack possible. That means unequivocably condemning antisemitism in all its forms wherever it appears. But it also means recognising a deeper and more uncomfortable truth: this act of terror did not occur in a vacuum. Racism and hate do not emerge overnight. They are enabled when prejudice is minimised, denied or treated as an aberration rather than a systemic problem. This is why I again renew the call for urgent funding and full implementation of the National Anti-Racism Framework developed by the Australian Human Rights Commission. This framework provides a clear, evidence based road map, tackling racism at its roots—in our institutions, our laws, our media and our everyday interactions. As the Race Discrimination Commissioner says in the introduction to the framework:

Stan Grant wrote, 'Racism isn't killing the Australian dream. The Australian dream was founded on racism.'

The commissioner goes on:

It is beyond clear that racism has been entrenched in the systems, structures, and institutions of Australia since colonisation. It is pervasive and causes real harm to people every single day. But it is a concerning reality that racism is treated by many in Australia as an anomaly, an aberration, or something to be outright dismissed or denied. This is despite a weight of evidence dating from 1788 from people with lived experience of racism that clearly shows us otherwise.

If we continue to deny that reality, we guarantee its continuation.

Confronting racism also means recognising that hatred and violence are experienced by many communities in Australia. We must address violence and hate directed at members of the LGBTIQA+ community, and we must address violence, abuse and dehumanisation experienced by people with a disability. We must confront Islamophobia, antisemitism, anti-black racism, anti-Asian racism and the ongoing racism faced by First Nations people. Solidarity cannot be selective, and safety cannot be conditional.

National unity is not built by silence or symbolism alone; it is built by action, by honesty and by the courage to change systems that harm. Let us ensure that this tragedy does not pass us by without meaningful action. Let us honour those who died at Bondi by committing to a country where hate has no refuge, where difference is not a target and where everyone, without exception, can live free from fear. That is the responsibility that this moment demands of us.