Dear Prime Minister,
Re: Additional responses to Bondi Terrorist Attack
We are shocked and dismayed following last Sunday’s horrific antisemitic attack at Bondi Beach.
We express our deepest sympathies for the Jewish community, and our sincere commitment to work across parliament to combat antisemitism and ensure that Australia is, once again, a safe and welcoming place for Jewish Australians.
While we welcome your government’s actions and commitments in the wake of the attack, we remain concerned that the measures proposed to date will not adequately address antisemitism in the community.
Only a federal Royal Commission will have the power to comprehensively and independently investigate the circumstances leading to, and authorities’ response to, the attacks, and examine actions and coordination across all levels of government.
And while we acknowledge the Government’s additional commitments to combat hate speech, we believe we need a national approach to it, and suggest that the Western Australian criminal code has demonstrated – over more than 20 years – sufficient nuance as to not unduly encroach on freedom of speech. We strongly urge you to consider implementing the Member for Wentworth’s amendments to the Federal Criminal Code.
These extend the definition of hate speech to include incitement of hatred, in addition to violence. These amendments were designed in consultation with key groups including the Executive Council of Australian Jewry and Equality Australia.
Finally, we urge you to significantly increase funding for the immediate and ongoing security needs of Jewish organisations. While we await outcomes of investigations into the recent incident, we must ensure that vulnerable community members are safe and secure.
We therefore urge you to announce a federal Royal Commission into the recent terrorist attack, to update Australia’s national Criminal Code as previously proposed by the Member for Wentworth, and to provide additional funding to ensure the safety of the Australian Jewish community.
Australia has been the most successful multicultural country in the world. It can be again – but we must ensure that all our communities can practice their culture, traditions and beliefs in safety, and free from persecution.
We look forward to hearing from you.
Yours sincerely,
Dr Monique Ryan MP
Member for Kooyong
Kate Chaney MP
Member for Curtin
Dr Sophie Scamps MP
Member for Mackellar
Zali Steggall OAM MP
Member for Warringah