Latest / The Front / Red hot anger: Josh Frydenberg’s powerful attack on the Prime Minister

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Red hot anger: Josh Frydenberg’s powerful attack on the Prime Minister · The Front

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  Speaker 1: Today's biggest news from The Australian. I'm Claire Harvey with
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  Speaker 1: the Front's afternoon headlines. A powerful speech at the scene
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  Speaker 1: of the Bondai Beach massacre by Josh Friedenberg, the former
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  Speaker 1: Federal Treasurer. Fredenburg was there to vent the fury of
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  Speaker 1: his Jewish community and to directly accuse the Prime Minister
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  Speaker 1: and his government of standing by while hate preachers, activists
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  Speaker 1: and politicians created an atmosphere of anti Semitic hatred.
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  Speaker 2: Thank you everyone for being here. I'm here to pay
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  Speaker 2: my respects to the souls of fifteen innocent people.
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  Speaker 3: Who have lost their lives in the deadliest terrorist attack
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  Speaker 3: in Australia's history, in the greatest loss of Jewish life
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  Speaker 3: since October the seventh, anywhere and around the world outside
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  Speaker 3: the State of Israel, Rabbis, Holocaust survivors, and the beautiful
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  Speaker 3: ten year old Matilda.
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  Speaker 2: Her parents said they gave her that name.
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  Speaker 3: Because it was the most Australian name they knew.
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  Speaker 2: What a tragedy.
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  Speaker 1: Fredenburg is fifty four years old. He left politics in
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  Speaker 1: twenty twenty two, deciding not to stand in his Melbourne
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  Speaker 1: electorate of Kuyon since the Hamas terror attacks of October seven,
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  Speaker 1: twenty twenty three. He's stepped up as a powerful advocate
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  Speaker 1: for Jewish Australians and now he gives every appearance of
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  Speaker 1: someone who will return to politics.
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  Speaker 3: This massacre at Bondi is the greatest stain on this nation.
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  Speaker 3: Has brought the greatest shame.
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  Speaker 2: To our nation.
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  Speaker 3: I'm here to mourn, but I'm also here to warn.
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  Speaker 3: Unless our governments, federal and state, take urgent, unprecedented and
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  Speaker 3: strong action, as night follows day, we will be back
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  Speaker 3: grieving the loss of innocent life in another terrorist attack
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  Speaker 3: in our country.
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  Speaker 2: This was all too predictable.
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  Speaker 3: Ever since those hours after Hamas's horrific attack on October seventh,
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  Speaker 3: we saw the heenous scenes on the steps of another
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  Speaker 3: national icon, the Sydney Opera House, with people celebrating that
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  Speaker 3: death and destruction. Who was apprehended that day, none of
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  Speaker 3: those who hate Australia and hate Jews, but a simple
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  Speaker 3: Jewish man holding in solidarity the Israeli flag.
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  Speaker 2: And since that day.
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  Speaker 3: We have seen the doxing of Jewish creatives, the canceling
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  Speaker 3: of Jewish artists, the boycotting of Jewish businesses, the grafiting
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  Speaker 3: of our schools, the harassment, the intimidation of Jewish students
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  Speaker 3: and staff on our university campuses, and of course the
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  Speaker 3: fire bombing of our synagogues and daycare centers, and daily
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  Speaker 3: daily protests of hate in this the lucky country which
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  Speaker 3: is lucky no more.
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  Speaker 2: And for two and a half years, as.
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  Speaker 3: The Australian Jewish community and others have raised the alarm bells,
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  Speaker 3: they were told by people who should know better that
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  Speaker 3: this was not as significant as they had said. We
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  Speaker 3: were told they didn't say gas the Jews on the
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  Speaker 3: steps of the opera House, they simply said, where are
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  Speaker 3: the Jews. A university vice chancellor at the a and U,
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  Speaker 3: when one of her students went out publicly and supported
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  Speaker 3: a listed terrorist organization Hamas, we were told, I don't
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  Speaker 3: agree with what she has said, but it's her right
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  Speaker 3: under academic freedom to say it. And then we have
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  Speaker 3: the nurses in Bankstown for the death of Israelis and.
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  Speaker 2: We are told it's just a joke.
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  Speaker 3: When a caravan has a deadly message against Jews, we're
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  Speaker 3: told it's just a hoax. Well, the greatest massacre in
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  Speaker 3: Australia's history is no hoax. It's no joke. It's a horrible,
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  Speaker 3: evil crime. So make no mistake, I am here.
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  Speaker 2: We are here.
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  Speaker 3: To fight for the soul of Australia and to fight
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  Speaker 3: for the survival of the Australian Jewish community that has
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  Speaker 3: been here since the arrival of the first fleet.
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  Speaker 2: Just over one hundred thousand strong.
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  Speaker 3: It has produced Australia's greatest citizen, soldier Sir John Monash,
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  Speaker 3: who would be turning in his grave right now, our
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  Speaker 3: first Yan born Governor, General Sir Isaac Isaacs, and the
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  Speaker 3: man who brought a touch of healing to our country
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  Speaker 3: Sir Zelman Cowen and Olympic gold medalist Jessica Fox, the
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  Speaker 3: chief scientists, and our greatest philanthroposts like Frank Lowe and industrialists.
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  Speaker 3: This is what the Jewish community has contributed in one
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  Speaker 3: hundred and twenty five years or more.
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  Speaker 2: And this is.
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  Speaker 3: How our government repays us. We as a Jewish community
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  Speaker 3: have been abandoned and left alone by our governments. Our
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  Speaker 3: governments have failed every Australian when it comes to fighting
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  Speaker 3: hate and anti Semitism. Our Prime Minister, our government has
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  Speaker 3: allowed Australia to be radicalized on his watch. It's time
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  Speaker 3: for him to accept personal responsibility for the death of
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  Speaker 3: fifteen innocent people, including a ten year old child. It's
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  Speaker 3: time our Prime minister accepted accountability for what has happened here,
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  Speaker 3: and it's time our leaders stood up and led at last.
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  Speaker 1: Freedenburg had a list of actions he said Albanese could
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  Speaker 1: take now.
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  Speaker 3: Firstly, Prime Minister, ban the hate preachers on October the
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  Speaker 3: eighth in Lakember you had Islamic preachers say that October
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  Speaker 3: the seventh was an act of courage and pride. When
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  Speaker 3: the Muslim community here's that message for the last two
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  Speaker 3: and a half years. Is this any surprise. The shooter
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  Speaker 3: here who did this was linked to a factory of
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  Speaker 3: hate in Bankstown. How can that factory of hate be
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  Speaker 3: allowed to open its doors for one day more?
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  Speaker 2: I say no, I say never.
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  Speaker 3: This is not hard, Prime Minister. There is a red
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  Speaker 3: line between good and evil. We need you at last
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  Speaker 3: to stand on the side of good, not evil.
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  Speaker 1: You south Well's Premier Chris Means he's recalling Parliament and
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  Speaker 1: says he's confident that with the votes of the Liberal
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  Speaker 1: and National parties he'll be able to pass legislation that
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  Speaker 1: restricts gun ownership and bans protest marches on overseas issues
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  Speaker 1: at times when a terrorism declaration is in place. There's
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  Speaker 1: been no announcement of the Federal Parliament being recalled, although
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  Speaker 1: Senior Minister Chris Bowen said that should only happen if
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  Speaker 1: appropriate legislation had been drafted. Freedenberg said Commonwealth action was critical.
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  Speaker 3: So what the Prime Minister must do now. He must
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  Speaker 3: call a royal commission. He must ban the preachers, he
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  Speaker 3: must ban the protests. He must prosecute the incitement. He
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  Speaker 3: must ban his but Alter Rear and other right wing
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  Speaker 3: or left wing organizations that are spewing this hate that
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  Speaker 3: are banned in other parts of the world. The Prime
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  Speaker 3: Minister must invest in education, put in place much more
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  Speaker 3: rigorous immigration checks, including for those who are here, and
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  Speaker 3: deport those who are breaching our values and breaching our laws.
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  Speaker 3: He needs to respond, He needs to respond to Jillian
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  Speaker 3: Siegul's report, and he needs to take action straight away before.
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  Speaker 2: We are here for another terrorist. So you're the state government.
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  Speaker 3: You're asking a lot of questions today that you should
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  Speaker 3: be able to provide your own answers to. The state
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  Speaker 3: government makes the laws, and if they need federal laws,
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  Speaker 3: they have something called the National Cabinet or COAG. So
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  Speaker 3: it's up to Premier Min's This is what's happened in
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  Speaker 3: Premier Mins's.
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  Speaker 2: New South Wales.
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  Speaker 3: The march across the Harbor Bridge happened in Premier Mins's
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  Speaker 3: New South Wales. What happened outside the Opera House happened
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  Speaker 3: in Premier Mins's New South Wales. He as a leader
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  Speaker 3: must push through the laws to not allow these protests.
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  Speaker 2: Challenge the rules of the court.
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  Speaker 3: The courts follow the law, and so you make the
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  Speaker 3: law law that the courts will follow. And if there
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  Speaker 3: are holes in the law, you fill them.
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  Speaker 2: That is simple.
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  Speaker 1: Those hundred thousand Australians who marched across the bridge, what
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  Speaker 1: would you tell them.
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  Speaker 3: Well, if you want to support Palestinian statehood, that's fine.
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  Speaker 3: If you want to criticize the Israeli government on the prosecution.
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  Speaker 2: Of the war, that's fine.
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  Speaker 3: But what we saw on that bridge was not that
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  Speaker 3: we saw chance to the death to the IDF. We
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  Speaker 3: saw hamas Hezbala and ISI's flags. We saw members of
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  Speaker 3: Albanese's own government standing below an image of the Ayatollah
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  Speaker 3: of Iran, whose ambassador has been length to terrorist attacks
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  Speaker 3: here in Australia.
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  Speaker 2: So these were not peaceful marchers. This is my point.
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  Speaker 2: These were not peaceful marches.
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  Speaker 3: These were incubators of You've got the head of the
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  Speaker 3: Palestinian network here in Australia who goes on British TV,
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  Speaker 3: who can't even say that Hamas is a terrorist organization
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  Speaker 3: that committed a terrorist attack.
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  Speaker 2: And these people are here in Australia.
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  Speaker 3: These people have been pictured with Penny Wong, Prime Minister.
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  Speaker 3: Can't you see what's in front of your eyes. Australia
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  Speaker 3: has been radicalized in an unprecedented way in the last
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  Speaker 3: two and a half years on your watch, and you
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  Speaker 3: are now responsible for fixing it, and you must fix
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  Speaker 3: it otherwise there will be another attack.
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  Speaker 1: Frodenberg said when he first heard about the Bondai massacre,
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  Speaker 1: he was celebrating a young man's bumtzah.
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  Speaker 3: We were all in shock. We were all then in
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  Speaker 3: sorrow and we're all in sadness. But now now this
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  Speaker 3: has turned to red hot anger because everyone can see
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  Speaker 3: what could have been done which was not done to
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  Speaker 3: prevent this. And my message is to every Australian the
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  Speaker 3: events of the last two and a half years in
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  Speaker 3: our country have made you less safe. They have undermined
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  Speaker 3: Australian values, they have torn to shreds our social fabric.
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  Speaker 3: You don't have to take my word for it as
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  Speaker 3: a Jewish Australian or an Australian jew.
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  Speaker 2: Just take the.
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  Speaker 3: Words of one of our most distinguished Australians, Sir Peter Cosgrove,
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  Speaker 3: a person who was the Governor General of Australia, the
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  Speaker 3: head of our Defense Force, who said what has happened
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  Speaker 3: in Australia in the last two and a half years
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  Speaker 3: would make Hitler proud. He said that it's a messy
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  Speaker 3: to every Australian that those in authority, those with the
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  Speaker 3: power to make change, have not made those changes. But
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  Speaker 3: they've allowed our country to be radicalized and as a result,
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  Speaker 3: our country is so much less safe.
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  Speaker 1: Frodenberg paid tribute to Sydney tobacconist Akhmed al Ahmed as
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  Speaker 1: Syrian refugee who was shot after crash tackling shooter at
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  Speaker 1: Sijit Akram and taking away his high powered rifle.
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  Speaker 2: He was a Muslim attacking a Muslim to protect Jews.
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  Speaker 3: And you go to Israel and you see side by
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  Speaker 3: side on their Supreme Court in their defense forces across
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  Speaker 3: every aspect of society, due and Muslim living side by side.
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  Speaker 3: But my point today is it's bigger than this. There
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  Speaker 3: is radical Islam, and it has gained more than a
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  Speaker 3: foothold in Australia. It's pervasive, it's being preached, it's being taught,
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  Speaker 3: it's being practiced, and our governments and our law enforcement
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  Speaker 3: and our intelligence agencies and our leaders need to do
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  Speaker 3: much much more.
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  Speaker 1: Frodenberg ended his remarks at Bondo Beach by saying every
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  Speaker 1: Australian is at risk.
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  Speaker 2: I think something has changed in Israel.
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  Speaker 3: I think Australia will never be the same again, and
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  Speaker 3: I think this will be a dark cloud of.
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  Speaker 2: Our country for the rest of time. But I also
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  Speaker 2: think for millions and millions and millions of well.
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  Speaker 3: Meaning, decent, big hearted Australians, they know this is not right.
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  Speaker 3: They know what has happened here is the epitome of evil.
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  Speaker 3: They know this has to be eradicated in our country,
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  Speaker 3: and they know that the people who are preaching this hate,
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  Speaker 3: who are practicing this hate, who are teaching this hate,
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  Speaker 3: have no place in our country. And we don't want
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  Speaker 3: more people like that coming here. Don't think you are
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  Speaker 3: immune from this attack on a Hunniker festival on the
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  Speaker 3: beaches of Bondai, because you.
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  Speaker 1: Were not He quoted a poem by Martin Nimola, a
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  Speaker 1: German Lutheran pastor who was imprisoned in a Nazi concentration
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  Speaker 1: camp during World War Two. This is Nimola's poem read
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  Speaker 1: by Josh Fredenberg.
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  Speaker 3: First they came for the Communists, but I did not
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  Speaker 3: speak up because I wasn't a Communist. Then they came
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  Speaker 3: for the trade unionist, but I did not speak up
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  Speaker 3: because I wasn't a trade unionist. Then they came for
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  Speaker 3: the Jews, and I did not speak up because I
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  Speaker 3: wasn't a Jew. And then they came for me, and
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  Speaker 3: there was no one left to.
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  Speaker 2: Speak up for me.
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  Speaker 3: This is the message from this massacre at Bondai. First
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  Speaker 3: they come for the sat Day people, then they come
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  Speaker 3: for the Sunday people. And unless you accept this extreme
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  Speaker 3: violent form of Islamist ideology, you are an infidel and
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  Speaker 3: you are a target. So Prime Minister, there's more than
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  Speaker 3: twenty six million, twenty seven million targets out there for
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  Speaker 3: these extremists. It's up to you to make us all
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  Speaker 3: more safe.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, you can watch a full version of Josh Rodenberg's
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  Speaker 1: speech and read all our rolling coverage of today's funerals,
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  Speaker 1: political developments and other stories right now at the Australian
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  Speaker 1: dot com dot A. Tomorrow morning on the front will
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  Speaker 1: be looking at the alleged isis links of Bondai shooting
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  Speaker 1: suspect Navid Akram, who has awoken from a coma in
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  Speaker 1: hospital and is under police guard.