First Nations politicians have offered condolences following the Bondi attacks during a special sitting of federal parliament on Monday.
The antisemitic terror incident killed 15 people — including a 10-year-old child — on December 14, as families attended a Hanukkah event in Sydney.
Rising to speak in the Senate, Minister for Indigenous Australians Malarndirri McCarthy named the victims and reflected on the human cost of the attack.
"Since the attack, we've seen the faces and heard the stories of each of those 15 people — cherished granddaughters and sons, sisters and brothers, wives and husbands, parents and grandparents," Senator McCarthy said.
"Each smiling photograph is a reminder that they were members of families and communities and that each loss will leave a void that simply cannot be filled."
Speaking as both a minister and a Yanyuwa Garrwa woman, Senator McCarthy extended a specific message of solidarity to Australia's Jewish community.
"I offer a particular condolence to our Jewish community," she said. "The pain of violence committed against innocent people, targeted purely for their identity, is something First Nations Australians have felt all too often throughout Australian history and still continue to feel in various forms. The intergenerational harm caused by that violence and loss is a devastating reality for a community. I grieve with our Jewish brothers and sisters, and I stand in solidarity with them."
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Labor Senator Jana Stewart echoed those sentiments, saying Indigenous people understand the consequences of hatred turning into violence.
"As a First Nations woman, I'm aware of what happens when hatred moves to violence, when your identity and who you are becomes a reason you or your community are singled out and attacked," Senator Stewart said.
"This type of hatred and violence causes deep and profound harm, and it is felt through generations. I say this not for whataboutism, but rather a shared experience of living in this country. And I share this to say that we see you and we stand with you. No one should endure this."
Independent Senator Lidia Thorpe also acknowledged what she described as an "absolutely devastating attack on the Jewish community", noting the shared experience of racism and violence.
"As First Peoples, we understand racism and violence," Senator Thorpe said.
"We have always sought peace and an end to racism, war, death and genocide. We stand with all those who are targeted by hate, here and everywhere."
She highlighted the historical solidarity shown by Yorta Yorta man William Cooper, who in 1938 led a delegation from the Australian Aborigines' League to the German consulate in Melbourne to protest Nazi persecution of Jewish people following Kristallnacht.
"The protest was seen by many as the only one of its kind in the world," she said. "An Aboriginal man, one and only, protested. It was the only one in the world. This enduring solidarity between people standing against oppression, racism and violence is where we can find strength, power and healing."
Shadow Minister for Indigenous Affairs Kerrynne Liddle reflected on the symbolism of Bondi Beach, saying a place associated with freedom and joy had been marked by tragedy.
"The violence meted out to innocent Australians on 14 December 2025 is, sadly, now etched in our nation's history," Senator Liddle said.
She said Jewish Australians have made significant contributions to the nation, yet in recent years there has been a "growing exclusion of Jewish Australians as contributors, leaders and participants" and an inadequate response to that trend.
"To the families who have lost loved ones: we grieve with you," Senator Liddle said.
"We honour your loved ones by saying their names, by telling their stories and by building a country where such hatred finds no respect and no recruits, and where action makes a difference to people's lives. Your sorrow is now part of our national memory. Your courage, as you face the days, weeks, months and years ahead, is part of our national inspiration.
"But no one thinks that the nation's duty ends when the headlines fade. It does not. It is an everyday thing, and we will keep faith with you. May the memories of those lost remain a blessing, may the wounded find comfort and strength, and may we turn sorrow into resolve, resolve into unity, and unity into the enduring light of the Australia we all love."
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Liberal Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price argued that anger towards the government over the attack was justified given what she described as a pattern of antisemitic incidents across the country over the past two years.
She argued "intolerable antisemitic incidents were tolerated", which in turn "led to more intolerable antisemitic incidents".
Citing what she described as "weakness, inaction, and a lack of moral clarity at the highest political levels," Senator Price added: "It has been a shame that, even today, there appears to still be a lack of moral clarity."
"Today isn't about Indigenous hatred and intolerance. Today isn't about trans hatred and intolerance. What today is about is Jew hatred and intolerance," she said.
"Today, of all days, is about confronting antisemitism. And shame on those who trivialise antisemitism through their false equivalence."
