Three years ago today, in the early hours of 7 October 2023, a wave of terror was unleashed upon Israel.
In kibbutzim, small towns, and the open grounds of the Nova music festival, more than 1,200 people were brutally murdered. Families were burnt alive. Children were slaughtered. Women were subjected to systemic sexual violence. Those fleeing for their lives were hunted down and killed, while others were abducted and taken hostage.
It was the largest loss of Jewish life in a single day since the Holocaust. October 7 was not amilitary operation. It was an organised and systematic massacre of Jews. It was a pogrom.
Having visited the sites of these atrocities, I have seen the devastation firsthand and witnessedthe physical and spiritual wounds that will take generations to heal.
Tragically, the wave of hatred unleashed on Israel on 7 October reached Australian shores.
The massacre of 15 Australians at Bondi Beach nine months ago was directly linked to the poison unleashed by the Hamas terrorist attacks and the extremism that followed. It was the terrible result of a culture that was allowed to take root in Australia after 7 October: a culture where vilification went unchecked, anti-semitism was tolerated, and Australian political leaders lost their moral compass.
We cannot undo the horrors of the past three years, nor restore the precious lives stolen in Israel and Australia.
We can, however, resolve to confront hatred without hesitation.
We can – and must – affirm to Australia’s Jewish community that they are an integral and valued part of our nation, whose security and safety is an absolute right. We must stand in unwavering solidarity with the victims, and in unified, unqualified, condemnation of Hamas and the perpetrators of terrorism.
7 October 2026