Bondi Beach Terror Attack: Hero’s Daughter Slams Prime Minister Anthony Albanese for ‘Zero Contact’ and Demands Royal Commission into Anti-Semitism
- Reuven Morrison’s daughter Sheina Gutnick claims PM Anthony Albanese has not contacted her family since the attack
- Gutnick demands a royal commission into anti-Semitism, saying the government has ‘gone unchecked’
- Rabbinical Association of Australasia joins calls for a royal commission, warning anti-Semitism is spreading ‘like a cancer’ through Australia
In a scathing attack on the Prime Minister, Sheina Gutnick, the daughter of hero Reuven Morrison, has claimed Anthony Albanese has had ‘zero contact’ with her family since the devastating Bondi Beach terror attack. Morrison, who was lauded as a hero for helping to intimidate the shooter, Sajid Akram, was killed in the line of fire as he tried to protect others.
‘No representative from Albanese has reached out to us whatsoever,’ Gutnick told the Australian. ‘We’ve been feeling so angry, and we feel like we’ve been forgotten in that sense.’ Gutnick’s emotional plea has sparked widespread outrage, with many calling for the Prime Minister to take immediate action.
Gutnick’s demands for a royal commission into anti-Semitism have been backed by the Rabbinical Association of Australasia (RAA), who warned that anti-Semitism is spreading ‘like a cancer’ through Australia. In an open letter to Albanese, the RAA claimed that anti-Semitic beliefs are being spread through calls for Palestinian statehood and chants at pro-Palestine marches.
‘What unites us at this time is our shared responsibility for the spiritual, emotional, and physical wellbeing of our communities,’ the RAA said. ‘We acknowledge the Government’s announcement of internal reviews and departmental processes. However, from the perspective of our communities, they do not provide the independence, transparency, or public confidence that this moment requires.’
Foreign Minister Penny Wong expressed her sorrow for the Jewish community in the wake of the attack, saying ‘sorrow isn’t political, sorrow is felt when we go to our places of worship, when we light a candle for those lost and for those grieving, when we hold our children close.’ However, Wong’s comments have been met with skepticism by some, who have accused her of not doing enough to address the issue of anti-Semitism.
Opposition leader Sussan Ley took aim at Wong, saying she didn’t see her ‘shed a single tear’ after the attack. Wong hit back, saying she respects the grief of the families affected and will pay her respects at Bondi ‘when it’s appropriate’.
The firebombing of a rabbi’s car in Melbourne on Christmas Day has also sparked widespread condemnation, with Wong saying it was ‘particularly damaging’ given the Jewish community is still mourning the Bondi attack. Wong added that anti-Semitism is ‘unacceptable’ and the government has acted, but ‘we have to do more’.
When quizzed on whether Australia should tighten immigration, Senator Wong said Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke had announced the strengthening of visa cancellation and visa refusal powers. ‘I think that’s the right thing to do,’ she said.