Sunday 21 December 2025

Good evening, everybody. I start by acknowledging the land that we're on, Gadigal land. I acknowledge the traditional owners of this land, and pay my respects to elders past and present. 

David, thank you for acknowledging the very many distinguished guests, and there are so many.

I also acknowledge all dignitaries who join us here tonight. 

I also acknowledge that what you have done, Rabbi Feldman, in bringing us together tonight is to bring all of us, every single person here, as an important guest, as we all move towards healing and to carry light forward in this time of darkness.

As your Governor General, I join all Australians in rejecting antisemitism.
And I recommit my solidarity with Jewish Australians in a spirit of love, belonging, gratitude and unity. You have always been a vital part of Australia's story of success and belonging. 

Thank you to everyone who has come tonight and during the week for coming back to Bondi to reclaim the peace of this place, which was ruptured with an act of terror, unspeakable barbarism, at exactly this time, just one week ago.

We're here, no doubt, to mourn those who lost their lives and those whose lives have been forever changed. 

But we're also here to honour and thank everybody who has responded to this moment, as you have heard and felt, the heroism of the surf lifesavers, the police, the first responders, the hospital teams and civilians and so many more who worked with such extraordinary courage among terrible carnage, and in the face of danger.

There were echoes of the instincts of valour that we have always commemorated as a nation. 

I believe we're yet to fully process the extent of heroism and bravery that defined this place and this time last week.

As your Governor General, I have promised to put care, kindness and respect at the centre of everything I do. 

And I took my lead from a former Governor-General, a Jewish man, Sir Zelman Cowen.

He united this country at a different time and in different circumstances, and he said that the office that I have the privilege of serving for you all must reflect the light and shade of our country back to itself, to help interpret and describe the mood of the country, and to embody healing and to build unity. 

Like all Governors-General before me, in this time of great tragedy and sorrow, I've sought to interpret the mood of the nation and stand with Jewish Australians and all Australians as we commit to peace and healing and a place where absolutely everybody belongs.

Yesterday at the 110th anniversary commemoration for the withdrawal of the Anzacs from Anzac Cove, we reflected on those brave men, including many 1000s of Jewish Australian soldiers. 

They left the shore of Gallipoli having served to restore peace in the world.

From the waters of Gallipoli to the lands of the Gadigal, Bondi has a long and proud history of seeking and upholding peace, and of commemoration and of promising to never forget. 

Now we have long drawn on that Anzac story in Gallipoli to help define our national character. 

It's important to remember that the 1000s of Jewish Australians who enlisted in the First World War sought the peace for us, and among them, Leonard Morris Keysor, who landed in Gallipoli, was the first Jewish recipient of the Victoria Cross.

As we draw on ANZAC, we must now do what the Holocaust survivors that I've met during the year told me we must do across our country, to never forget the horror of the Holocaust and to understand and be educated about antisemitism.

Learning these lessons, we know we must never let this happen again.

We must commit to being a nation where every Australian has the right to belong in peace and safety. We will always remember the names of the beloved ones who died here and those who fought with courage to save lives and end the violence. 

Tonight, and in recent days, Jewish leaders have called on all Australians of every faith, of every background, to perform mitzvah – millions of acts of care, kindness, respect, love and generosity – to embark on a national project of peace, belonging and unity. 

I want everyone affected by this tragedy to know I've received letters from the leaders of the nations around the world. 

The international community believes that together, we can fulfill this project of unity and belonging.

And as a message of faith and encouragement on our path to bring healing from the darkness to light, I'm proud to share with you some words of compassion, care, kindness and respect from His Majesty the King, who said this in his message to all Australians, 

‘My wife and I are appalled and saddened by the most dreadful antisemitic terrorist attack on Jewish people attending the Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach.

Our hearts go out to everyone who has been affected so dreadfully, including the police officers who were injured while protecting members of their community.

We commend the police, emergency services and members of the public whose heroic actions, no doubt, prevented even greater horror and tragedy.

In times of hurt, Australians always rally together in unity and resolve … I know the spirit of community and love that shines so brightly in Australia and the light at the heart of the Hanukkah festival, will always triumph over the darkness of such evil’.