Wendy Askew (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise today to contribute to the condolence motion and pay my respects to the victims, their loved ones and all those who were involved in the horrific events that took place on beautiful Bondi Beach on Sunday 14 December 2025.

The events of that day are a tragedy. This is not the Australia we love. No-one should lose their life or be injured because of their beliefs, and no-one should lose their life or be injured attending a community event. There would have been hundreds, if not thousands, of people on Bondi Beach that day. It was a typical Aussie summer evening, and all were impacted in some way and will bear the scars for life. We especially remember the families and loved ones of those 15 innocent people who lost their lives and the 41 others who suffered life-changing injuries. To the police, ambulance and emergency service workers, the lifeguards and health professionals, as well as members of the public who came forward to assist: thank you. We also acknowledge the impact this incident will have had on you.

Since 14 December, there have been many debates and scenarios considered in the media and throughout the community about why this tragedy occurred. As the criminal and civil investigations, including the Commonwealth royal commission, undertake their important work, I have no doubt that there will be more public debate and discourse on that very topic.

Despite the horror of that day, many positive stories have also emerged. We've heard many of them today. There were significant acts of courage from people facing atrocities and overwhelming violence, ordinary Australians risking their own lives to try and save others in their community. That's a clear testament to the Australian spirit that defied the violence they faced. There were examples such as the actions of Ahmed al-Ahmed, who risked his own life to disarm one of the offenders. Ahmed did what was necessary and placed himself in harm's way in an attempt to stop the attack. Because of him, many more lives were saved. And we mustn't forget Boris and Sofia Gurman, who, sadly, lost their lives in this incident. They are thought to be the first victims of this tragedy. Sofia and Boris grappled with one of the attackers in an attempt to disarm him. They succeeded, but, sadly, were still killed. There is also the injured woman Jessica, who sheltered a little girl, Gigi, with her own body after Gigi was separated from her family.

These are just three of the many, many examples of heroism evidenced that day. Each of them demonstrated incredible courage in the face of unimaginable horror. As the violence was unfolding around them, they thought of others before their own safety. They thought of the children who had gathered for Chanukah by the Sea. They thought of the swimmers who were forced into the ocean in the chaos and who were struggling to stay afloat, and they thought of their families. Hanukkah is an important religious date on the Jewish calendar. It celebrates, of all things, freedom, resilience and the triumph of light over darkness.

The two terrorists who opened fire on this community event sought to sow fear, division and darkness among the Australian Jewish community, but the brave actions of these ordinary Australians show that they failed. The events at Bondi were the culmination of the escalation of the antisemitism we have seen over recent years. Jewish Australians have being living each day in fear of this type of violence. They have needed to be brave in the face of antisemitic attacks and to protect their community, to the extent of having armed guards at preschools. It is now our turn, as elected leaders and representatives in this place, to ensure that the lives lost were not lost in vain.

It is important now that we strengthen our systems, laws and processes to send a message that this kind of violence and extremism has no place in Australia. We are a welcoming, multicultural country and value the richness that other cultures bring to our communities. We do not condone antisemitism or extremism of any type in this country. That is not the Australia I know and it's not the Australia we want to see our children and grandchildren grow up in.

As a senator for Tasmania, I'm aware of the impact that a massacre like this has on communities. The Bondi attack is considered the worst mass shooting event to occur in Australia since 35 people were killed at Port Arthur in my home state in 1996. I have a clear memory of that day and the days that followed, as I was married to a police officer at the time who was sent to guard the bodies while the evidence was gathered. Tasmanians, and particularly those involved, have had a long and slow journey of recovery since the 1996 massacre. In some ways we have not recovered from it. Victims and loved ones are still dealing with the trauma of that event 30 years later, and it remains a dark shadow that looms large in our state's history.

But with tragedy comes growth, even when that's difficult. It was following the events at Port Arthur that then prime minister John Howard developed and implemented strict new gun laws to protect Australians and to create a safer environment for us all. While it is tragic to think that, even under these legislative conditions, the Bondi massacre still occurred, it demonstrates the incredible importance of continual improvement and review of legislation. We need answers as to why the Bondi attack occurred and what steps could have been taken earlier to prevent it. This is why I supported the establishment of a Commonwealth royal commission into these events and the rise of antisemitism in Australia. The coalition was resolute in its resolve in calling on Labor to establish a royal commission into antisemitism and the massacre to ensure that we can fully examine the circumstances leading up to this tragedy. This is about accountability, truth and keeping Australians safe.

While people lost their lives in this attack, there were also countless others who were injured, many with life-changing injuries such as the young police officers who, despite being only relatively new to the force, ran directly towards the danger instead of away from it; the lifeguards who ran with their kits to provide first aid to those who were injured; and others who protected the vulnerable, often with their own bodies. Everyone who survived the Bondi massacre will live with life-changing injuries. Some will be physical, but all of them will live with the mental scars that this type of trauma brings. Recovery will be nuanced and it will not be linear, but ensuring that justice is served and safety is improved is the least these survivors expect from us.

It is our responsibility to be fearless in examining how this incident occurred and what we can do as elected representatives to change conditions and make things safer for everyone. We need to be courageous and bold, and work cooperatively across the political spectrum to shine a light on all the issues that led to this terrible incident. Those who lost their lives, their families and friends, and those who were injured deserve nothing less. They deserve justice. They deserve to see their government and elected members make bold decisions that will make their lives safer—the families of victims like beautiful 10-year-old Matilda, described by her father as just a regular, awesome Aussie girl, whose life was tragically cut short because of the violent actions of others. Matilda had her whole life ahead of her and was a smiling, carefree little girl enjoying her afternoon at Chanukah by the Sea with her family. She did not deserve this.

For the family of Boris and Sofia Gurman, an honest and hardworking couple who were killed doing what came naturally to them—trying to protect others—they did not deserve this. Neither did 41-year-old rabbi Eli Schlanger, a loving father who had just welcomed a newborn son into his family. As we heard earlier today, the father of five children was a highly regarded and much-loved leader in his community.

On 14 December 2025, Australia changed forever, and now we must seriously confront the issues leading up to the event and ensure antisemitism and Islamic extremism is extinguished within our communities forever. We will remember the 15 innocent victims of the Bondi massacre who lost their lives. Their names will be a constant reminder that we must not—we cannot—ever allow this type of tragedy to occur again in Australia. Boris Tetleroyd, Boris and Sofia Gurman, Reuven Morrison, Edith Brutman, Marika Pogany, Dan Elkayam, Rabbi Eli Schlanger, Rabbi Yaakov Levitan, Peter Meagher, Alexander Kleytman, Tibor Weitzen, Adam Smyth, Tania Tretiak and, of course, 10-year-old Matilda—may they all rest in peace.