Deborah O'Neill (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I too want to congratulate the member for Wentworth for bringing forward this motion in the House. Here in the Senate I congratulate you, Senator Lambie, for your strong voice. I acknowledge your position as a crossbencher endeavouring to do exactly what is in the third point of your statement, which is to endeavour to resolve 'that all parliamentarians will work constructively together'.

I have this to say as the chair of the parliamentary friends of Israel, with a particular interest: antisemitism did not die in the gas chambers of Auschwitz, nor did it begin in Nazi Germany. It's a scourge that has afflicted the Jewish people and threatened their annihilation since their inception. This is an ancient and insidious evil that is not confined to history. Sadly, it continues to leave an ugly mark on humanity today. Speaking as a member of the Senate for New South Wales, I say the stain on Sydney is a disgrace. In mid-2024 I stood in this Senate and stated that the Jewish community of Australia had witnessed a shift from an uptick in antisemitism to an almighty surge. Now it has become a torrent. There should not be a race in this place to be the first ones to claim it. We only need to stand united to decry it.

The horrific massacre of October 7 saw the largest killing of Jewish people since the Shoah. It unleashed and gave licence to those who are filled with hatred in their souls, allowing them to continue to torment a people who experienced a reopening of deep trauma in their collective psyche. I have continued to be shocked and disgusted. As Senator Lambie has asked of me, and of all of us in this place, I will not be a bystander. All people of goodwill in this place have not been bystanders. We should be united in our shared decrying of the kinds of behaviours that are manifesting themselves on the Australian streets.

I never thought I'd see the day when synagogues were torched, cars were bombed and Jewish Australians woke to daily vile hatred sprayed on the walls of the neighbourhoods in their communities. Australia is the most successful multicultural, multifaith nation in the world. It prides itself on being home to the second largest cohort of Holocaust survivors after the State of Israel. It's an accomplishment that we proudly continue to offer to all refugees and persecuted people seeking shelter.

Yet this achievement is not complete. Continual understanding, tolerance and vigilance are required to maintain the welcoming society that so many fled to join. I stand with all leaders of goodwill, not malign intent—all leaders of every community that acts in goodwill. As a government, we will continue to pour more resources into policing and supporting AFP Special Operation Avalite to coordinate the response, ensuring that the Prime Minister's strong words are realised. These thugs will be hunted down and locked up with no stone left unturned as they face the full force of the law. But now is a moment of united leadership. No-one can put themselves ahead of the real and pressing needs of the Jewish community right now. We stand united behind you. That is our task. That is my commitment.