Australia news live: ‘dehumanisation leads to exactly what happened in Bondi’, Jewish MP tells parliament

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Pipe bomb suspect appears in court

A man accused of stealing items to make explosive pipe bombs that were found in Canberra will remain behind bars after police raided his home.

Damien Paul O’Brien was arrested and charged with four offences on Sunday after police discovered almost a dozen small, silver pipe bombs on a one-kilometre stretch of footpath in suburban Belconnen last week, reports AAP.

The 41-year-old entered the ACT magistrates court on crutches for the first mention of his matter on Monday, with no application for bail made.

Eleven detonated pipe bombs were found around Lake Ginninderra between Joynton Smith Drive and Ginninderra Drive in Belconnen last week.

Police will allege O’Brien stole $127 worth of galvanised pipes and bought 22 cap ends from Bunnings in Belconnen to create the explosives.

Read more here:

Queensland premier says likely that more than 100,000 livestock lost to floods

More than 100,000 livestock have been lost to floods in north Queensland, according to premier, David Crisafulli.

The premier and the state’s agriculture minister, Tony Perrett, visited Julia Creek yesterday.

“I can update you today that we’ve now received 230 disaster impact surveys, and that has revealed 68,700 stock losses. There will be more to come,” Crisafulli said. He added there will not be a final estimate until people could return to their properties once the water resides:

I believe the figure is going to go well north of 100,000 and we’re going to see that continue to rise, and with that will come a massive impact. It’s not just the impact on the primary producer, both mentally and economically.

It’s also the town. Many of these smaller communities are underpinned by the primary production.

Bureau of Meteorology warnings are still active across north Queensland, including as far west as the Diamantina River. As of Sunday, power had been returned to all but 1,000 of 11,000 homes that had lost it, Crisafulli said.

Advocates call for gun control legislation to pass

On the lawns of Parliament House, gun control advocates are calling for the government’s reforms to be passed.

Stephen Bendle, an advisor at the Alannah and Madeleine Foundation, says there should be bipartisan support of greater gun control.

We understand that there’s nothing in the bill … that restrict[s] the legal use of firearms for sporting shooters, other shooters, and anyone - primary producers, for example.

There’s a lot of pushback going on at the moment, but all of the legal firearm owners who we have always said in the vast majority are good, legal people, can still pursue their hobby or their job.

This legislation will set the foundations for a gun buyback [for] prohibited and unwanted weapons. It will help strengthen background checks. It will help share intelligence amongst jurisdictions and federal bodies such as Asio.

The Greens have agreed to pass the government’s gun reforms, which have now been split from the rest of the hate speech bill. Labor is still negotiating with the Coalition to pass the second bill.

Burns: ‘Dehumanisation leads to exactly what happened in Bondi’

Josh Burns, a Labor MP who is also Jewish, also stands up, and talks about the night of 14 December as the shooting began.

He said his daughter was about to go to the same Hanukkah in the park festival in Melbourne.

As he speaks, his baby daughter, who was just born at the end of December, coos. She’s with Burns’ partner and Victorian MP Georgie Purcell.

Burns says he is proud of his Jewish community.

We must not dehumanise each other because dehumanisation leads to exactly what happened in Bondi. Not every act of hate ends in violence, but every act of violence begins with hate …

To every single Australian who has lit a candle, who has checked in on a Jewish community member, a friend, a colleague. I say thank you because how a country responds matters. To all of the victims and to my community, this is our home. This is our country.

We have some more pictures out of the chamber, where MPs are speaking on the condolence motion after the Bondi terror attack.

Leeser claims antisemitism ‘festering’ in the ‘cultural left’

Julian Leeser, a Jewish MP and the shadow minister for education, says Bondi represents “a moment of choice” for Australia to tackle antisemitism. He blames violent neo-Nazi groups, “radical Islamists”, and the “cultural left” – where he claims antisemitism is festering.

He says:

Today is not about day-to-day politics. It’s about the type of country we want and the type of people we are. The sad reality is that if we do not change - then Bondi will not have changed anything.

Bondi represents a moment of choice. Will we stay in the political cul-de-sac that we have been in for over 800 days, or will we tackle the sources and causes of antisemitism in this country?

Leeser says it would be “naive” to think antisemitism could be tackled over two sitting days of parliament, and implores the chamber to deal with antisemitism “every day this parliament sits until we get the job done.”

Greens leader Larissa Waters: ‘We cannot ignore that fear and hate have been allowed to fester in our communities’

A condolence motion marking the Bondi massacre is also being debated in the Senate this morning.

In her speech, the Greens leader, Larissa Waters, said the “reprehensible act of antisemitic violence” committed on 14 December was “not who we are”.

Waters said:

Australia is a multicultural nation that is stronger because of our diversity not in spite of it. No one in Australia should fear practicing their religion or culture.

Every Australian should have the right to live, work, worship, learn in peace and in safety.

We cannot ignore that fear and hate have been allowed to fester in our communities and to spill over into tragedy.

Dreyfus: response to Bondi ‘must extend to what we choose to defend and how we defend it’

After Littleproud is Mark Dreyfus, a Jewish MP and the former attorney general,, who speaks the name of the 15 killed.

Dreyfus says the country and government’s response should not be confined to grief, but it “must extend to what we choose to defend and how we defend it.” He becomes emotional as he talks about those who are left behind after the tragedy.

For every person murdered their families and friends left behind. A home left quieter, clothes still hanging in wardrobes, photos on walls that will never be updated, children asking when someone is coming home. A seat left empty at the table, a last no longer heard, belonging to one more word, one moment, one more chance to say what was left unanswered, the pain of that absence does not pass quickly. They were parents, children, neighbours and friends.

Dreyfus ends with a Hebrew prayer.

Littleproud pays tributes to victims, survivors and heroes

Both the house and Senate will be speaking on the condolence motion for most of the sitting day today. There will be no question time.

In the house, the s leader, David Littleproud, speaks next to pay his respect to the victims, their families and the survivors and heroes of Bondi. He also pays tribute to Ahmed al-Ahmed, the hero who disarmed one of the gunmen.

Our Jewish community has been traumatised and our country reshaped. There are really no words of comfort that I or any other can provide to the families of these victims that will ease the pain. But they should know that this country is with you and that your life not be in vain.

Marles: ‘The legacy of Bondi has to be that we return to the Jewish community the Australia that they once knew’

The deputy prime minister, Richard Marles, opens his condolences by describing the “grainy, dashcam footage” that captured Boris and Sofia Gurman, attempting to disarm the gunmen as they were getting out of the car; and the footage that emerged of Ahmed al-Ahmed successfully doing so.

Marles says the members of the Jewish community who have spoken to him have said that despite antisemitism being an old prejudice, Australia had for a long time been “a safe harbour” for them.

It’s really against that backdrop of relative historic normality that the Jewish community today is so shocked, that kids going to Jewish schools have to do so behind high walls or 24/7 guarded protection and when leaving schools they have to get out of that uniform on campus so that they cannot be readily identifiable on the streets where the logos are taken off the school busses for the same reason, and the same operating applies to Jewish aged care facilities, to Jewish community centers, to synagogues. And it’s become difficult, if not impossible for the community to celebrate with joy, culture and religion without fear.

So rightly, the Jewish community asks today in Australia how is that OK? In the land of the fair go, how is that fair? And if there is to be any meaning coming out of this tragic event, it must be the resolution of this question. The legacy of Bondi has to be that we return to the Jewish community the Australia that they once knew. And in the process, as we aspire to eliminate all forms of prejudice from our country, we seek to provide to each and every citizen the full promise of Australia.

Allegra Spender says Australia ‘will never be the same, nor should it’

Allegra Spender, the member for Wentworth who represents the area of Bondi, speaks next.

She says 14 December is one of the darkest days of modern Australia, and that our country, “will never be the same, nor should it be”.

Spender names the 15 killed in the terror attack and says “people are not gone if we continue to say their names and remember them”. She calls on everyone, including MPs in the house, to focus on unity and social cohesion.

People are angry now and rightly so but in [Rabbi Yehoram Ulman’s] words Australia must become a nation where kindness is louder than hate, where decency is stronger than fair.

This was the most violent attack of hatred in modern Australia. And I do believe that we as a country can emerge more united, was steadfastly committed to our common values and our shared humanity than ever before. The stories from Bondi show us the way. The courage and the care of those Australians show us the way.

This is what we owe those we have lost. This is how we honour their pleasant memories, and as Rabbi Ulman reminds us, this work is urgent. Let us not wait for tomorrow, let us start today.

Ley says parliament must 'face uncomfortable truths'

Ley says antisemitism has “festered” in Australia since the 7 October attack in Israel.

Antisemitic hate fuelled the terrorists on 14 December but it came out of the shadows in October 2023. It walked our streets. It marched over our bridges. It took over our landmarks. It camped in universities, it painted graffiti on our buildings. It firebombed our places of worship. It sent children to school behind locked gates and armed guards. Like a slow creeping disease, it festered in plain sight.

Jewish Australians do not feel safe and if Jewish Australians do not feel safe, then no Australian feels safe. You warned of this menacing storm and you said you felt unheard. The Coalition heard you. We must unite as a parliament to confront and defeat this evil. To do so, we must face uncomfortable truths. Radical Islamist extremism caused this.

She ends on a similar note to the prime minister, saying Australia must strive to ensure the memories of those killed become a “blessing”.

Sussan Ley: ‘How did this happen, and how can we make sure it never happens again?’

Anthony Albanese ends, calling on Australians to respect each other, look after each other and bring light into each others’ lives.

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. 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. May their memories be a blessing.

The opposition leader, Sussan Ley stands up next, acknowledging the victim survivors and their families sitting in the gallery of the House today. She names the 15 who were killed on 14 December.

This deadly and deliberate attack on Jews on Australian soil was on the first night of Hanukkah, the festival of lights, a night that should have been filled with joy and hope, not darkness and hate. Many never imagined such a horror could take place on our shores but it did. People who were there told me their stories, covering their children with their bodies, running to safety, screaming and searching for loved ones. While part of them felt no surprise, just the cold weight of expectation realised.

We honour those we lost by answering this question - how did this happen and how can we make sure it never happens again?

Albanese tells Jewish Australians: ‘You are not alone’

The families of those killed at Bondi are in the public gallery for the condolence motion.

Albanese acknowledges them and all those watching from home. He tells the Jewish community, “you are not alone”.

We say to all of you who have travelled here today and to those watching at home, on your long road to healing, Australia will be by your side. Just as our nation came together one week after Bondi to light candles against the darkness, we must continue to raise our voices against the silence.

While the massacre at Bondi Beach was cruel and senseless, it was not random. Jewish Australians were the target. As we offer our love, sympathy and solidarity to everyone bearing the weight of trauma and loss, we make it clear to every Jewish Australian, you are not alone.

Albanese also pays tribute to the first responders and heroes who helped at Bondi beach on 14 December. The prime minister says he has asked the governor general to create a special honours list so Australians can nominate those heroes for formal recognition.

Their bravery is inspiring and it was instinctive. 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. Their bond was more profound than that. Their bravery was an act of shared humanity and that is the spirit in which Australians have responded every day since.

PM moves condolence motion in parliament

Anthony Albanese is moving a condolence motion for the victims of the Bondi attack, which the parliament will spend most of the day on.

Albanese will speak first, followed by Sussan Ley, Richard Marles, David Littleproud, Mark Dreyfus and Julian Leeser. Dreyfus and Leeser are both Jewish MPs.

The motion gives the parliament’s heartfelt condolences, condemns the atrocity, condemns the evil of antisemitism and vows action to eradicate it, honours the courage of first responders, acknowledges the long-lasting trauma, expresses admiration for the heroes of Bondi, affirms the right of Jewish Australians to live in peace and safety and stands together in the spirit of national unity.

The house has a minute of silence before the PM begins:

Fifteen innocent people for whom today should be just another Monday morning. Another day in this beautiful country they loved, in the embrace of the family and friends they adored. Another day in busy lives, reaching passion and purpose, defined by hard work and by humour. Another day devoted to others serving their community, nourishing their faith. Another day of school holidays. Instead, our parliament comes together in sorrow to offer our nation’s condolences to the people who knew and loved them best.

It’s tomorrow or nothing says PM on hate speech laws

Speaking to ABC radio Melbourne, the PM again says it’s up to the Coalition to explain why they have “walked away” from anti vilification laws which he says were recommended by the antisemitism envoy, Jillian Segal.

Asked point blank by Raff Epstein whether the laws – if not passed tomorrow – will be abandoned forever, Albanese says “correct”.

Albanese then criticises the Coalition for saying the whole process has been “rushed” when they themselves were calling for parliament to be recalled late last year.

It’s up to the Coalition in particular to explain why it is that they said they wanted the report implemented in full. And when they’ve had the opportunity [they’ve] walked away from it, just like it’s up to them to explain why it is they call for Parliament to be resumed and pass all these laws before December.

We’re not a government that puts things up over and over again to see them defeated.

Albanese says the government after this will be focused on other issues like the cost of living, health and childcare.

Earlier my colleague, Tom McIlroy, brought you new stats from the government on gun ownership.

You can have a closer look at the number of firearms in Australia and the number of owners here:

Anthony Albanese says One Nation popularity a ‘worry’

The PM has also been riding the media train this morning, and spoke to KIIS FM’s Kyle and Jackie O earlier.

Asked about the latest Newspoll results showing One Nation’s primary vote rising above the Coalition’s – Anthony Albanese said it’s a “worry”.

It’s a worry because they can appeal to grievance, but they’re a pretty divisive lot … I’m a believer in mainstream politics and that the parties of government, it’s important. Served this country pretty well. I look at overseas where you have a real fragmentation and, you know, you might have five or six parties in government and it’s unstable. Italy, of course, was famous for a while there, changing governments every year. And so, I mean, it’s a reality that the Coalition in particular have to deal with.

The results showed One Nation’s primary vote increased to 22%, just ahead of the Coalition’s primary vote of 21%. Meanwhile the government had seen a slight tick down to a primary vote of 32%.