Australia’s Parliament has marked the Bondi Beach terrorist attack with a national condolence motion, one month after the mass shooting that killed 15 people.
The motion was moved on Jan. 19—Parliament’s first sitting day of 2026 as the House of Representatives began proceedings earlier than scheduled with Speaker Milton Dick calling on members to observe a minute’s silence.
This was followed by an address from Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, as families of the victims watched from the public gallery.
Albanese opened by reading aloud the names of the deceased, beginning with the youngest victim, Matilda.
“Our parliament comes together in sorrow to offer our nation’s condolences to the people who knew and loved them best,” he said.
“As we pause in silence to remember them, we recognise that ... an unbearable silence has fallen. The silence of a sorrow beyond words inflicted by an atrocity beyond comprehension.”
The prime minister was also explicit about the nature of the attack, acknowledging that it was not indiscriminate violence.
New Honours List for Bondi Heroes
The prime minister later paid tribute to first responders and civilians who intervened during the attack, announcing that he had asked the Governor-General to establish a special honours list to formally recognise acts of bravery by Bondi heroes.“Their bravery is inspiring, and it was instinctive,” he said. “They didn’t need to know the names of the people they faced gun fire to help. They did not stop to think about faith or nationality.”
Albanese closed by urging Australians to uphold unity and compassion in the aftermath of the attack, while promoting kindness and care within their communities.
“That is how all of us can help repair and strengthen the fabric of our nation, how we heal and move forward in a spirit of national unity, where light triumphs over darkness,” he said.
“It is how we honour the heroes of Bondi and how we ensure that the 15 people we remember and honour today are never forgotten.”
Parliament Needs to Confront ‘Uncomfortable Truths’: Opposition Leader
In her speech, Opposition Leader Sussan Ley also acknowledged the families and survivors present in the chamber.“Many never imagined such a horror could take place on our shores, but it did,” she said.
“We must honour those we lost by answering this question—how did this happen and how can we make sure it never happens again?”
At the same time, Ley said Parliament needed to confront the “uncomfortable truths” behind the Bondi attack—the threat of anti-Semitism and radical Islamist extremism.
“We must unite as a parliament to confront and defeat this evil. To do so, we must face uncomfortable truths,” she said.
“Radical Islamist extremism caused this. I repeat, radical Islamist extremism caused this, leaders need to be able to express this clearly, because if you can’t name the problem, you can’t possibly defeat it.
“For too long, many in our society, especially in positions of authority, have failed to act decisively. It should not have taken the murder of 15 people for us to open our eyes to the dangers of anti-Semitism in Australia.”
Independent MP Calls for Social Cohesion
Independent MP Allegra Spender, whose electorate includes Bondi, described Dec. 14 as one of the darkest days in Australia’s modern history.“Our country will never be the same, nor should it be,” she said. “Every person we lost that day was a precious gift to their family and their community.”
Spender urged lawmakers to focus on unity and social cohesion, quoting Rabbi Yehoram Ulman.
“Each of us, including everyone in this house, must personally reflect on how we contribute to that cohesion, and each of us must do better,” she said, warning against any act of retaliation and retribution.
“We will disagree passionately, but we owe it to one another to disagree. Well, we must not dehumanise one another. We cannot fight hate with hate.
Greens Leader Says Anti-Semitism ‘Not Who We Are’
A parallel condolence motion was moved in the Senate by Foreign Minister Penny Wong.Greens Leader Larissa Waters described the shooting as a “reprehensible act of anti-Semitic violence” and said it was “not who we are.”
“No one in Australia should fear practicing their religion or culture,” Waters said. “Every Australian should have the right to live, work, worship, learn in peace and in safety.”
She then called for collective action against all forms of hatred, listing examples across communities and identities.
One Nation Condemns Extremist Islamic Ideology
One Nation Senator Malcolm Roberts used his speech to condemn extremist Islamic ideology, calling it “the number one killer of Muslims worldwide” and a driver of violence against Christians, Jews and non-Muslim believers.As party leader Pauline Hanson was suspended from the chamber over her burqa protest during the previous sitting, Roberts read her condolence statement.
“This is a tragedy, a scar that will be in history books for eternity,” the statement said. “Mistakes have been made, but lessons must be learned.”
Hanson’s statement also criticised both current and previous governments for an alleged lack of action.
“This tragedy has been a wake-up call for a lot of people. Never take your freedom, peace or harmony for granted … Our current and previous governments have a lot to answer for but that’s for another day,” it said.
