Barbara Pocock (SA, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

I rise today, like so many others in this place, with a heavy heart, to speak on behalf of my community and my conscience about the tragic events that unfolded at Bondi Beach on 14 December last year—on what should have been a beautiful night of celebration, the first evening of Hanukkah, a horrific and senseless act of violence against the people gathered at Bondi. Fifteen innocent people were killed, dozens more were injured and the lives of so many families, friends and loved ones were forever changed by grief. This was an attack on Jewish people and on a Jewish community gathering, an attack on a community, so many of whom came to Australia and have come to Australia seeking refuge—including, in my own family, Selene Malefsky, who, like so many Jewish Europeans, sought refuge from antisemitic pogroms and the Holocaust and including, so tragically, Alex Kleytman, amongst those killed at Bondi, having himself survived the Holocaust.

It was, at the same time, an attack on the very values that define us as Australians, an attack on our safety as a community—something we all value, we all need and we must protect for the future of our children and generations to come. We mourn those who were robbed of life, of laughter, of a future—a future that can never be reclaimed. We hold in our thoughts and in our hearts their families and friends, those who will carry this loss with them forever. I extend my deepest condolences to the Jewish community, who face unimaginable pain and fear as a result of this horrendous attack. Antisemitism has no place in our country. Our Jewish communities, schools, events, celebrations and homes must be safe. We stand united in rejecting hatred and antisemitism absolutely and hatred in all of its forms. We are not safe unless all of us are safe.

In the wake of this violence and amidst our great, shared grief, our nation has witnessed something powerful: the extraordinary capacity of our communities to care for one another in moments of such profound loss. I want to acknowledge the courage of those who ran towards danger to protect others and the courage and care of the first responders, people who threw their own bodies at the outrage to protect others. We have seen neighbours open their doors, communities gather in vigils and countless acts of compassion. This response—not fear but courage, kindness and care, and not division but solidarity—is the true measure of our nation.

This tragedy reminds us painfully and unforgettably that violence has no place in our community, that antisemitism has no place in our society and that racism, prejudice and hatred directed at a group or individual cannot be tolerated. Our response must be rooted in compassion, in justice and in a commitment to ensuring security for all Australians, especially our most vulnerable.

To the Jewish community here in Australia and to Jewish communities around the world who share in this sorrow: we stand with you. In offering our condolences today, let us recommit ourselves, as legislators and as fellow human beings, to healing, to unity, and to confronting hatred wherever it arises. In remembering the lives lost at Bondi, may we choose a path forward that embodies care, humanity and the steadfast refusal to let fear define us.

I want to acknowledge the pain of the families and honour the courage of those who acted to save others and convey, on my behalf and that of the Greens and my community, especially the many South Australians who have shared their horror and pain with me, my deepest sympathy for the victims and their loved ones.