‘A home left quieter, clothes still hanging in wardrobes’: emotional MPs pay tribute to Bondi terror attack victims | Tony Burke
Labor MP Josh Burns recalled the fear that shook him when he learned of the Bondi terror attack, and former attorney general Mark Dreyfus became visibly emotional during a motion of condolence in federal parliament for the victims of the attack.
Orders were suspended in parliament on Monday after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese tabled a motion of condolence in memory of the 15 people killed when two gunmen allegedly inspired by the Islamic State targeted a Hanukkah event at Sydney’s Bondi beach on December 14.
Burns told home that on the day of the shooting, her daughter was about to attend a similar Hanukkah ceremony at the park festival in Melbourne, and described the fear that spread through the Jewish community as news of the violence spread.
“What about my family? What will they do? Will they be safe?” Burns said.
“We must not dehumanize each other, because dehumanization leads to the same thing that happened in Bondi. Not every act of hate results in violence, but every act of violence begins with hate.”
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Dreyfus said the government’s response should not be limited to sadness but “must extend to what we choose to defend and how we choose to defend it.”
Resisting tears, Dreyfus described the pain felt by those whose relatives were killed.
“For every person killed, there are families and friends left behind. A quieter home, clothes hanging in closets, photos on the walls that will never be updated, children asking when they will come home.”
“An empty seat at the table, an unheard laugh, one more word, one more moment, the longing to say what remained unanswered once again. The pain of that absence does not pass quickly. They were parents, children, neighbors and friends.”
The condolence motion condemned these atrocities and pledged to eliminate antisemitism, honored the bravery of first responders, acknowledged the trauma of the incident, and affirmed the right of Australian Jews to live in peace and security.
Albanese thanked the families of the victims and the rest of the Jewish community who were in the public gallery to express their condolences. Albanese said the responsibility to ensure such atrocity never happens again begins with him.
“Australia will be with you on your long road to recovery,” he said. “We make it clear to every Australian Jew: You are not alone.”
Albanese said he wanted the governor-general to create a new Australian awards category so people could nominate those who acted bravely in the wake of the attack.
“Their courage was inspiring and instinctive. They did not need to know the names of the people they encountered with fire to help. They did not stop to think about faith or nationality. Their bond was deeper than that. Their courage was an act of common humanity,” Albanese said.
Education minister Jason Clare broke down in tears as he read first-hand accounts from survivor Jessica, who attended the Hanukkah event with her daughter.
“We covered our children with our bodies and as the gunfire got closer as we were spattered with bits of flesh and bone flying at us, there was no doubt about it. This was a massacre,” Clare read.
“I realized I wasn’t preparing to survive anymore. I was preparing for how I wanted my daughter and I to die. I leaned down into her ear and said the only words I could think of. ‘Get inside you, darling, go home to your lover. Stay there, baby, stay there.'”
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said he wished the federal government would “act tougher” on hate speech following the Bondi beach massacre.
On Tuesday, parliament will discuss bills on hate speech and gun control, prepared in response to the terrorist attack. The bills were divided after fierce opposition from the left and right to the hate speech proposals.
Burke said Australia “has a chance to respond louder than the evil of terrorists”. “Simply put, they do not speak for us. Our voice is: welcome here forever, we will make it safe.”
Burke also spoke about Ahmed al-Ahmed, a Syrian immigrant and bystander Muslim who disarmed one of the gunmen. El Ahmed was looking for a place to grab coffee in Bondi and was invited to a Hanukkah event by a rabbi, Burke said.
“No one is going to tell me that Ahmed al-Ahmad is of the same religion as the gunman,” Burke said.
“When I visited him in hospital, his comments were very much about the hand of God, a story you can hear from anyone of any faith. And I think that’s important as we work through the horror, the hatred and the evil, the unspeakable evil of these gunmen, that we don’t lose the best of Australia and we don’t hand them over to the wrong people down the road.”
Opposition leader Sussan Ley said antisemitism had “visibly increased” in Australia since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, and “emerged from the shadows” in public opposition to Israel’s subsequent war on Gaza.
“We must come together as a parliament to confront and defeat this evil. To do this, we must confront uncomfortable truths,” Ley said.
Independent member for Wentworth Allegra Harcama, who represents the Bondi ward, said December 14 was one of the darkest days in modern Australia and the country “will never be the same and it should never be”.
He called on everyone, including MPs in the parliament, to focus on unity and social cohesion.
“People are angry right now, and rightly so. [rabbi Yehoram Ulman’s] “Australia must become a country where kindness is stronger than hate, where kindness is stronger than fear,” Spending said.
“This was the most violent hate attack in modern Australia. And I believe we can emerge as a country more united, more resolutely committed than ever to our shared values and our shared humanity… This is what we owe to those we have lost.”
