Matthew Canavan (Queensland, Liberal National Party) Share this | Hansard source

The Bondi terror attacks are a personal tragedy for the 15 innocent Australians that lost their lives and the families that are left to pick up the pieces. Today, we recognise their heroism, their sacrifice and their loss as a parliament. The Bondi terror attacks are a national tragedy too, that has torn at the fabric of our nation.

For Jewish Australians that fabric was first woven in 1788 when at least eight Jewish people arrived in Australia as convicts on the First Fleet. These first Jewish Australians came to live in a prison, but, ever since, Australia has offered the Jewish people an escape. Australia was an escape from the intermittent waves of Jewish persecution that afflicted Europe and, more recently, from the wars and conflicts in the Middle East. Australia has been a land of opportunity, freedom and tranquillity for Jewish people, just as it has been for so many persecuted peoples. These people come from different cultures, religious faiths and parts of the world, but, when all of these different peoples arrive in Australia, they are provided the same safe harbour, and the thread of that common protection has bound us together as one people.

Just over one month ago an evil pulled at that thread and tried to tear apart what Australia promises. While the grief has been more keenly felt by our Jewish brothers and sisters, all Australians recognise that we have lost something after these evil murders at the hands of terrorists.

Bondi Beach has a special place in the heart of all Australians. Every time I have visited, before December last year, I was immediately struck by how bright, how light and how much fun Australia is. Bondi is a physical manifestation of what is Australia. I had the opportunity to visit Bondi a few weeks ago to pay my respects to those who had lost their lives, and it was sad to not experience the same carefree feelings that I had on previous visits to Bondi. There was still a mix of surfers, gym bros and early morning coffee addicts, but along the Bondi Pavilion there was also a collection of flowers and memorials to the tragedy that had unfolded there just a few weeks prior. That murder and that tragedy has, for now, stained one of the happiest places in Australia.

My sadness, however, was tempered by a moving service that I was fortunate enough to attend, led by Rabbi Yossi. I had not known this until I arrived, but, since 14 December, Rabbi Yossi and others have led readings of the names of victims at least three times a day. At these readings, Rabbi Yossi recounts some of the stories from the lives of the heroes, as he calls them, who laid down their lives. Rabbi Yossi also leads the crowd in the singing of Jewish hymns and the national anthem. Rabbi Yossi's commitment to do this for his community is a moving way to mourn and remember our loss, and that is what we are doing here today. We are grieving, we are mourning and, most of all, we are paying tribute to those who have suffered, by remembering their loss.

In the Jewish faith, the mourning period lasts 30 days. Rabbi Yossi's plan had been to continue the readings for those 30 days after 14 December, but there has been such a demand for them that he is continuing them for the rest of January. I would encourage anyone that can to attend them. They are very moving. You can see the details and the times of them at december14.com.au. Rabbi Yossi reminded me that there is a customary tradition in Jewish faith to say the words, 'zichronam livracha' which means, 'May their memory be a blessing.' Just one month on from the Bondi attacks, it is hard to see how the memory of this tragic event can be a blessing, but the Lord works in mysterious ways if we let him. Even on 14 December we saw the selfless, heroic acts of those who put themselves in harm's way to protect others. Since 14 December we have seen an outpouring of grief from all Australians to unite with our Jewish brothers and sisters who have lost so much. But the long memory of 14 December will be determined by our ability to confront and defeat the evil that inspired these attacks. Only if we succeed in this battle will the loss of life at Bondi not be in vain.

These attacks were the targeted murder of Jewish people inspired by a radical, perverse and violent interpretation of Islam. All Australian governments, leaders and religions should unite to condemn the radical Islamic ideologies that have too often been used as cover to inspire such violence. We must also reject the extreme views that dehumanise individuals based on their race, colour or religious views. In 1788, on that first fleet, there was a collection of Protestants, Catholics, Africans and Englishmen. Our first governor, Arthur Phillip, insisted that all of the new Australians must be treated the same for our small colony to survive. In those harsh early years, even officers had the same rations as convicts. Likewise, today, we will not survive as a nation if we are led by those who would like to divide us into tribes. We must continue to be a nation that offers a home and relief to all. However, to briefly foreshadow what we will tackle now, for the rest of this week, we cannot achieve this by laws alone. A successful mission to maintain a harmonious Australia will not be won by politicians passing bills in Canberra. We need to inspire and harness the goodwill of all Australians to keep our land free and in harmony. We have seen that goodwill outpoured every day by Australians in recent weeks. I have great hope for our country because our history has been one of sticking together when the times get tough.

Another Jewish tradition I witnessed at Bondi was the placing of stones to commemorate someone's passing. The idea is that, like the stone, our memory of the dead will endure and not fade. This past month has been a very tough time for Jewish Australians and all Australians, but Australians are tough, like those stones that have been placed along the wall of the Bondi Pavilion. Australia will recover from this tragedy of the past month, and our hopeful, joyous and welcoming country will survive for years and years to come, just like those stones.