Carol Brown (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Today the Senate, and indeed the parliament, honours the lives lost, the lives forever changed and the community shaken by the antisemitic terrorist attack at Bondi on 14 December. It was a targeted attack on Jewish Australians carried out on the first day of Hanukkah, a time that should have been marked by light, faith and celebration. Instead, it became a moment of profound grief.

Our thoughts are with every person affected by this attack. We think first and foremost of those who've lost their lives and of their families and loved ones who now carry a loss that words cannot ease. We think of those who were injured and whose recovery will take time, care and support. We think of the broader Jewish community who were targeted simply for who they are. No-one should ever be attacked for their faith. No-one should fear gathering in public, worshipping freely or celebrating their traditions. Jewish Australians have the right to live, work, study and worship in peace and safety. They should not live in fear. Antisemitism is not just an attack on one community. It is an attack on the values that bind us together as a nation. It is an attack on tolerance, on mutual respect and on the idea that difference should be protected and not punished. There is no place for this hatred, this division or this terrorism in Australia.

I also want to pay tribute to the bravery shown in the immediate aftermath of the attack, to the first responders, police officers and surf lifesaving workers who ran towards danger, to the paramedics and emergency workers who treated the injured under the most confronting circumstances and to the civilians who acted with courage, compassion and calm in moments of chaos. Their actions saved lives, and they represent the very best of our country. I also want to acknowledge the courage of Ahmed al-Ahmed, whose actions on that day spoke to the instinct to protect others, even in the face of grave danger. That instinct to look after one another is something we should never take for granted, and it deserves to be recognised by this parliament.

In the days following the attack, Australians responded with solidarity and with a shared determination that this hatred must not be allowed to take root here. We saw vigils, we saw messages of support and we saw people from all backgrounds standing alongside the Jewish community to say clearly and without qualification that antisemitism has no place in our nation. It is right that the parliament pauses to remember those who were killed and to acknowledge those whose lives were forever changed.

Australia will observe a national day of mourning on Thursday 22 January—a day to honour the victims of antisemitism; a day for reflection, remembrance and unity; a day that reminds us that, even in moments of darkness, light will prevail. This parliament recognises the human cost of violence, and we stand together against hatred in all its forms. At moments like this, it is tempting to look for division, to point fingers or to retreat into fear, but that is not the Australian way. The Australian way is to come together in times of crisis, to stand with those who are hurting, to defend the right of every person to live without fear and to respond to hatred with resolve, not resignation.

To Jewish Australians, I want to say this clearly: you are not alone. This parliament stands with you. This country stands with you. We will dedicate every resource required to ensure that you are able to live your lives freely, without fear. This is an incredibly difficult time. Grief does not follow a timetable, and healing takes time, but, in remembering those killed, we honour their lives. We remember those killed, and we commit to ensuring such hatred has no place in Australia.