Bondi Beach shooting: John Howard says leaders shouldn’t be using gun reforms to avoid tackling anti-Semitism

Former prime minister John Howard says the nation’s political leaders should refrain from using the cover of new gun laws to avoid tackling anti-Semitism, with the Federal Government accused of being weak condemning the hatred of Jews in the aftermath of the Bondi massacre.

“I do not want this debate, post this horrible event, the focus on guns to be used as a pretext to avoid the broader debate about the spread of hatred of Jewish people and anti-Semitism,” he told reporters in Sydney on Tuesday.

“That would be an evasion of responsibility.”

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has rejected a report in The Australian that state premiers at National Cabinet had to push him on tangible steps to tackle the spate of attacks against Jewish people in Australia during the past two years, culminating in Sunday’s massacre of 16 people. A pre-written media release had only one paragraph addressing anti-Semitism, and a second paragraph was added to focus on existing work.

“That is not accurate, it’s just not right,” Mr Albanese said. “That’s not true.”

Mr Albanese said he had convened National Cabinet on Monday “following the evil, anti-Semitic terrorist attack directed at members of the Jewish community celebrating Hanukkah at Sydney’s Bondi Beach”.

But he equivocated when asked about whether National Cabinet discussed a plan by Jillian Segal, the head of Australia’s Special Envoy to Combat Anti-semitism.

“We referenced the ongoing work, including the national hate crimes incident data base,” Mr Albanese said.

It was left to NSW Premier Chris Minns to concede that confronting anti-Semitism would take time, with the State Labor leader raising this issue before he spoke about gun law reform and potentially recalling Parliament before Christmas to get legislation passed.

“Fighting anti-Semitism in our community, which will not be done in a week or a month, is a long-term project,” he said.

“I’m determined to bring in the toughest gun laws in Australia and they’ll be significantly tightened in New South Wales.”

National Cabinet has agreed to make Australian citizenship a condition of gun ownership after Naveed Akram, 24, and his father Sajid Akram, 50, opened fire on a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach on Sunday. The father and son terrorists killed 16 innocent people. Sajid, who owned six licenced guns, was killed at the scene, while Naveed remains in hospital under police guard and is likely to face charges.

Mr Howard urged Mr Albanese to “denounce discrimination against a section of the Australian community and to do everything in the power of the government to prevent the spread of anti-Semitic behaviour” that has intensified since Hamas insurgents murdered more than 1200 Israelis in October 2023.

“His greatest failure is not to provide the moral leadership that a prime minister can in denouncing anti-Semitism,” he said.

“There’s little doubt that since October the 7th, 2023, not enough has been done by those who command authority and respect in our society to prevent, cauterise and denounce the spread of anti-Semitism.

“I hope that this terrible event will be a wake-up call to those who have been asleep at the wheel on this issue.”

Mr Howard blamed Mr Albanese and Foreign Minister Penny Wong for allowing unchecked “forces of hatred” by recognising a Palestinian state, run by Hamas, the terrorist group that murdered more than 1200 Israelis in 2023.

Labor electorates in south-west Sydney have some of Australia’s highest concentration of Muslim voters.

“He seemed to me to derive more satisfaction from that than he did in promoting our longstanding and harmonious relationship with the state of Israel,” Mr Howard said.

“I’m ashamed of the fact that our relationship with Israel has broken down.”

Mr Howard also praised Bondi hero Ahmed Al Ahmed for putting his life in danger.

The 43-year-old Syrian-born tobacconist remains in St George Hospital in Sydney’s south receiving treatment for the multiple gunshot wounds he sustained after wrestling a weapon from one of the shooters. Mr Albanese met with him on Tuesday morning.

“The standout in that department was the magnificent man who disarmed one of the evil doers. He deserves the praise that he’s received all around the world,” Mr Howard said.

“And of course, he self-identified as a Muslim. That is a reminder this is not about sectarian division. This is about pure hatred and for the future, it ought to be about treating all Australians, not least the Jewish community of Australia, with equal respect.”

While he was clear that tackling anti-Semitism and hatred in Australia was key, Mr Howard said his government’s actions after the Port Arthur massacre, to enact national gun laws banning semi-automatic and automatic weapons, meant more people had not been killed.

“The death toll at Bondi would have been infinitely greater if the weapons banned after Port Arthur had not been banned,” he said.