Bondi was but one example of unchecked hate. And we're all paying the price for it

In one of the first interviews I did after Bondi, a reporter said something I have not been able to shake. Login or signup to continue reading "It feels like we're living in a twilight zone." At the time, I thought I understood her. I don't think I did. In the months since, those words have taken on a far deeper meaning, becoming almost painfully reflective of what I have watched unfold. What has felt so strange is how quickly things once beyond argument have become negotiable. Behaviour that would have shocked us is debated. Hatred is qualified, explained or excused depending on who it is directed towards. The line shifts slowly enough that we can almost convince ourselves it has not moved. For Jewish Australians, the numbers are confronting. In the decade before October 2023, the Executive Council of Australian Jewry recorded an average of 342 anti-Jewish incidents a year. In the year to September 2025, it recorded 1654. Then, on December 14, 15 people were murdered at Bondi Beach during a Chanukah celebration, in what the Prime Minister described as the deadliest terrorist attack ever carried out on Australian soil. It would be a grave mistake to understand that only as a Jewish problem. When hatred against one group is explained away because the politics are complicated, the target is unpopular or the grievance feels justified, we lower a standard that protects all of us. Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke described a "direct line between the temperature in society and the likelihood of attacks". He spoke about Bondi alongside anti-First Nations extremism, an anti-Muslim terror case and the Christchurch massacre. Separate cases, separate communities, but the same warning about what can happen when hatred is allowed to grow unchecked. Polling commissioned by CAM this year found 52 per cent of Australians felt less confident after Bondi that people of all faiths could live safely in this country. Forty-seven per cent believed councils should be doing more to combat hate directed at Jewish communities, while only 21 per cent believed councils were already doing enough. Broader Scanlon research, however, found Australia's overall social cohesion remained stable and support for multiculturalism remained strong. Recently, I spent two days in Canberra meeting people across the political spectrum. What struck me was how much agreement there was. People who would disagree strongly on plenty understood that anti-Semitism cannot be allowed to become normal, that Bondi could not simply be mourned and placed behind us, and that this should not belong to one political party or one side of an argument. It is in that spirit that the Combat Antisemitism Movement and Waverley Council will hold the 2026 Local Government Summit Against Antisemitism and for Social Cohesion in Sydney on November 26 and 27 , supported by the Commonwealth and NSW governments. More than 400 local government leaders are expected, alongside police, researchers, educators and faith leaders. There will be people in that room who disagree strongly about politics. I hope there are. Social cohesion does not require us to agree. It asks something more basic: can I disagree with you and still consider your safety my concern? Local government has faced that question before. In 2014, the City of Greater Bendigo approved plans for its first mosque. What followed went far beyond a planning dispute. Far-right activists came to Bendigo, protests shut down parts of the city, a mock beheading was staged outside council offices, and councillors were escorted from a meeting by police after protesters shouted abuse. Mayor Peter Cox was among those targeted. The council did not reverse its decision. That was a council holding its ground when a minority community was under extraordinary pressure. It had nothing to do with my community, and that is precisely why it belongs here. The principle cannot depend on who the target happens to be. So the questions are simple. What is lost when a councillor understands anti-Semitism better than they did last year? Why would we not want mayors comparing what has worked and what has failed? And after fifteen Australians were murdered at a Chanukah celebration, what serious argument is there against people trying to stop hatred reaching that point again? No summit will solve anti-Semitism. But over the past nine months, I have watched an extraordinary number of people step forward, many with no connection to the Jewish community at all. When hatred against one group becomes acceptable, the standard falls for everyone. And eventually, everyone pays. Weekdays Sharp. Close to the ground. Digging deep. Your weekday morning newsletter on national affairs, politics and more. Weekly Every Saturday and Tuesday, explore destinations deals, tips & travel writing to transport you around the globe. 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