Originally published on Australian Jewish News, 7 January 2026

The need for national healing after the Bondi terrorist attack is a responsibility we all share.

The events of 14 December on our most famous beach have exposed a wound that will not be solved quickly. While governments have announced packages of laws, they are a beginning, not an end.

It is an oddity Prime Minister Anthony Albanese remains so insistent that he will not hold a Royal Commission into the events and antisemitism.

Members of the Labor Party should be horrified the Prime Minister is leaving their government exposed to the potential charge they are not doing everything to address the risk from jihadists and Islamist extremists.

The Jewish community is rightly angry at the events that unfolded in Bondi and those responsible for such atrocities. But so much of the anger flows from the frustration of two years of repeating the same basic truth: inaction on antisemitism will lead to tragedy.

Bringing people together starts with empathy, and being able to express horror at the events that have unfolded coupled with surprise. The truth is the Federal government can only express horror, not surprise.

You can only be surprised if you were not warned.

It stems from leadership.

There are whole sections of libraries dedicated to leadership. Listening tempers the path a leader steers. This is what has been missing since 7 October 2023.

There have been defining moments. The failure to respond to antisemitic chants on the steps of the Sydney Opera House on 8 October 2023 came first.

The intimidation in Princes Park outside Central Shule was another. As was the firebombing of the East Melbourne Synagogue. And there have been many more.

But the real damage has been much slower and compounding. The right to express a view is not the same as a license to act as you please.

The complete failure to recognise that pro-Palestinian protestors intimidated our cities was a standard we walked past.

The same is true on university campuses. When Vice Chancellors don’t know how to respond to intimidation of Jewish students it reflects that messages from higher authorities have been confused.

Normally after such a tragedy the job of the government and its leader is to unite the country.

They need to be able to reflect all Australians sympathies to the Jewish community with an open heart and map a path forward for all of us to guide the nation.

Inaction over the past two years means that moment has denied Australia at its time of need. What has been done cannot be undone. It is a problem for healing the scars of our nation. It is a problem now for all of us.

The average Australian is appalled and devastated at what happened in Bondi.

They may not have the lived experience of antisemitism, nor understand how it has got to this, but they have the moral compass to know it should never have been allowed to.

Words matter, but authenticity flows from our ongoing deeds. The obvious examples are those who showed the moral clarity and courage and ran to danger.

Ahmed al Ahmed has rightly become a national hero. He knowingly risked his own life to save others. Boris and Sofia Gurman showed the same moral courage and paid the ultimately price with theirs.

The gap is between their moral clarity in an instant, and leaders who chose another path over two years with plenty of warning.

As challenging as the moment is, it must also be seen for the opportunity it presents.

What matters at this pivotal time is to honour those whose lives have been lost, to support the community, to investment in our national unity and our national healing.

Where Australia goes from here is a decision we must all make. We are a free society, and that is worth fighting for.

With freedom also comes responsibility, including using our freedom to speak out and stand up for the type of nation we want to be.

Investments in our social cohesion and social connection are stitches in our social fabric. The task never ends, because there will always be forces that try and fray it – and once frayed it can quickly unravel.

Truly honouring the memories as a blessing of the fifteen who tragically died at Bondi is a bigger project than a moment or a year.

It will only be done if we all recommit to building a better nation anchored in respect. Understanding this is a responsibility we all share together.

Tim Wilson is the Federal Member for Goldstein .