EXCLUSIVE: A former Australian government minister said a combination of Islamic extremism, government inaction and lax security measures for migrants from Middle Eastern hotspots were all factors in the country’s worst-ever terrorist attack.
FORMER HAMAS HOSTAGE WARNED AUSTRALIAN LEADERS OF THE DANGERS OF ANTISEMITISM MONTHS BEFORE BONDI BEACH ATTACK
The safety vest of an anti-Israel protester during a march against the Jewish state at the Sydney Harbor Bridge in Australia. August 2025. (Ayush Kumar/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Rabbi Yossi Friedman addresses people who gather at a floral memorial at the Bondi Pavilion on Bondi Beach on Tuesday, December 16, 2025, following Sunday’s shooting in Sydney, Australia. (Mark Baker/AP Photo)
“The government must do much more to tackle the preachers of hate, to tackle the organizations that spread that hate and to ensure that they prosecute those who incite violence.”
Frydenberg said Australia has failed to take steps adopted by other Western democracies, including banning extremist groups from legally remaining in the country.
“Hezbat al-Tahrir, banned in Britain, banned in Germany and banned in moderate Islamic states, is not banned in Australia, and nor should it be.”
When asked if Jewish Australians feel safe, Frydenberg said the situation has reached a breaking point.
INTELLIGENCE WARNED AUSTRALIA OF IRANIAN TERROR ACTIVITY MONTHS BEFORE BONDI ATTACK, OFFICIALS SAY
Australian Federal Police (AFP) Commissioner Krissy Barrett, NSW Prime Minister Chris Minns, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon, Minister for Police and Counter Terrorism Yasmin Catley, attend a press conference during a visit to NSW Police Headquarters, following a fatal shooting during a Jewish holiday at Bondi Beach, in Sydney, Australia, December 16, 2025. (Hollie Adams/Reuters)
“Australia is unsafe for Jewish people right now,” he said, citing what he described as an unprecedented escalation of harassment, intimidation and violence since October 7, 2023.
“We have seen Jewish artists doxxed, Jewish businesses boycotted, houses of worship, synagogues bombed, as well as childcare centers,” he said. “Our universities are no longer home to education. They have become hotbeds of hatred as people harass, intimidate and act violently against Jewish students and staff.”
His warnings received renewed attention this week after a separate television interview he gave to Australia’s ABC network went viral following a tense exchange with host Sarah Ferguson, who questioned whether his criticism of the government should be viewed through a political lens.
FAMILIES mourn loved ones lost in BONDI beach terror attack: ‘NO WORDS CAN DESCRIBE THE PAIN’
A member of the Jewish community recovers an object from the Adass Israel Synagogue in Melbourne, Australia on December 6, 2024. An arson attack at Melbourne’s Adass Israel Synagogue forced congregants to flee as flames engulfed the building early Friday morning. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese condemned the incident as an anti-Semitic act and stressed that such violence at a place of worship is unacceptable in Australia. (Asanka Ratnayake/Getty Images))
“I am deeply offended by what you just said,” Frydenberg replied. “That’s an insult. It’s an insult to say there’s any political motivation in this.”
“My children go to a school with armed guards outside,” he continued. “When I visit a Jewish elderly care center, there are armed guards outside. When I send my children to Jewish sports clubs, there are police cars and police tape. How are we supposed to live with this? Why should we live with this?”
Frydenberg rejected suggestions that his warnings were biased, arguing that the issue cuts across politics.
“This is not a partisan issue. This is a leadership issue. This is about the safety and security and soul of Australia,” he said.
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People walk past a memorial drawn on the wall of a walkway in tribute after Sunday’s shooting at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Friday, December 19, 2025. (Steve Markham/AP Photo)
“They will not be judged by their words,” Frydenberg said. “They will be judged solely on their actions, and they will have to do much more than they announced today to turn the situation around.”
