I write this with a heavy heart, still processing the horror that unfolded at Bondi Beach on 14 December. Fifteen lives were stolen from us during a Hanukkah celebration, including ten year old Matilda and an 87 year old Holocaust survivor. These were not statistics but human beings, gathered in joy and light, whose futures were violently erased by two gunmen driven by extremist ideology.

In the aftermath, I have watched our national conversation fragment along predictable lines. Some rush to exploit tragedy for political advantage. Others seek simple answers to impossibly complex questions. Yet what this moment demands is something far more difficult: the courage to hold multiple truths simultaneously and the wisdom to resist the seductive simplicity of blame.

The evidence shows clearly that these attackers were motivated by Islamic State ideology, a narrow and violent interpretation that bears no resemblance to the beliefs of Australia’s diverse Muslim communities. Australian intelligence agencies have confirmed this. The fact that a Muslim man, Ahmed al Ahmed, risked his life to disarm one of the gunmen speaks volumes about where mainstream Australian Muslim values truly lie. His heroism, along with that of Reuven Morrison and Boris and Sofia Gurman, reminds us that courage and decency transcend religious and ethnic boundaries.

Yet I cannot and will not minimise the very real experiences of Australia’s Jewish community. The Executive Council of Australian Jewry has documented a threefold increase in antisemitic incidents since October 2023. Synagogues have been firebombed. Jewish businesses vandalised. The owners of Avner’s bakery in Surry Hills closed their doors permanently, stating they could no longer ensure the safety of staff and customers in what they called an “outwardly, publicly, proudly Jewish” space. These are not invented grievances. They are documented facts that demand our attention and action.

What I reject is the weaponisation of this tragedy by those seeking to deepen divisions for political gain. Some commentators have rushed to paint all of Australian society as irredeemably antisemitic, ignoring the thousands who gathered at Bondi to mourn, the millions who observed a moment of silence, and the overwhelming expressions of solidarity from Australians of all backgrounds. Others have used the attackers’ identity to fuel Islamophobic rhetoric, as if the actions of two radicalised individuals could define an entire faith community of over 800,000 Australians.

Both approaches are dishonest and dangerous. They exploit grief to advance agendas rather than seeking genuine solutions.

If we are serious about preventing future tragedies, we must confront an uncomfortable truth that transcends the culture wars: our gun laws failed us. Sajid Akram legally owned six firearms, including the shotguns and rifles used in this attack. He acquired these weapons despite connections to individuals convicted of plotting terrorist acts. This is unconscionable.

Prime Minister Albanese and state leaders have committed to urgent reform, including limiting firearm ownership to Australian citizens, restricting the number of weapons any individual can possess, and accelerating the national firearms register. These measures are overdue. The 1996 Port Arthur massacre prompted sweeping gun reforms that made us safer. The Bondi massacre demands we go further.

Gun ownership in Australia must serve a clear, legitimate purpose with rigid safeguards. The evidence from the United States shows us the alternative: a society where mass shootings have become routine, where children practice lockdown drills, where the right to bear arms supersedes the right to live free from gun violence. We must not follow that path.

This moment calls for something better than blame. It demands that we honour the victims through action: strengthening our gun laws, addressing the very real rise in antisemitism, supporting our Muslim communities against collective punishment, and building the kind of society where all Australians feel safe to celebrate their identities publicly.

The extremist ideology that motivated this attack thrives on division. Our response must be unity, not as empty rhetoric but as purposeful action toward a safer, more just Australia.

22/12/2025