Published: 18 December 2025
Last updated: 18 December 2025
The Albanese government, like the governments of many other western democratic nations, cannot stop all antisemitism or attacks against Jewish people.
They can ameliorate, reduce, deescalate, educate, and provide security, but they cannot guarantee the safety of all Jews.
New Zealand, England, Ireland, France, Belgium, Germany, Spain, Croatia, Greece, Norway, Sweden, Israel, USA (along with Egypt, Nigeria, Pakistan, Iraq, to name a few) have all been unable to prevent terrorism against civilians. One study found over 65,000 acts of terrorism since 1979 linked to extremist Islamic groups or individuals.
Historically, we have never been truly safe, in Israel or in the diaspora.
Some are now seeking to further their political agendas by personally blaming the Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, NSW Premier Chris Minns and Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan for the Bondi massacre.
These leaders are jeered by those with justifiable anger; saying they didn't do enough to stop the Bondi attack, to stop people chanting threatening slogans, to stop antisemitic graffiti and Iran-sponsored terrorism.
They hold up the report by Jillian Segal released five months ago, and say the delay is responsible; as if actions against universities, the media and NGOs would have prevented the Bondi attack.
Comments18
Ben Harding19 January at 11:55 pm
The most objective comments, I have seen from any Jewish representative. Indeed, most of the arguments you make, I have been making when engaging with people. Your views are in vast contrast to the AJA who seem to be extremely political, subjective and immoral in their tactics. They think that restricting freedom is the answer. The only answer is more freedom and leave free speech alone. Use counter speech as the weapon..
Thank you.
Ruth Wilson8 January at 11:42 pm
So much for talk today about the importance of critical thinking in our schools and universities. For those who don’t know what that entails, Simon Tatz’s article is a model. His examples are factually impeccable, and he sifts and weighs evidence with surgical precision, before arriving at an informed conclusion. Given the emotive and illogical thrust of much of the pro-Palestine rhetoric and the number of young people who endorse it, the much-vaunted educational emphasis on critical thinking has failed. This article is worthy of inclusion in the educational portfolio.
Vivienne8 January at 09:33 am
I can’t believe a Jewish publication of any political persuasion, would publish this dross. Albanese has a responsibility to keep Australia safe for all citizens, including Jews. He failed from the moment he allowed Wong to not visit the Nova sites to the moment he recognised a Palestinian state
Kate Bossence24 December at 12:50 pm
No government worldwide is perfect. This is a very very delicate situation that l strongly believe MUST unite both the Coalition & Labor parties to create forces to protect Jewish people. For 2 years you have all been persecuted & with increasing violence climaxing in the utter atrocities that happened at Bondi. One can only Pray & Hope the government get together collectively & not politicise what happened at Bondi. Each side blaming the other does not try to solve the solution of Jewish people being killed by fanatical haters.
Jeffrey Brown23 December at 04:11 am
Simon, your characterisation of the LNP opposition to the Voice as a denial of the right of indigenous people to have a say over the laws that affect them, is dishonest.
The right generally thought the Voice was a good idea, but said it should have been legislated, not put into the constitution.
Jeffrey Brown23 December at 03:40 am
“Don’t politicise antisemitism” is code for “don’t blame Labor for the exponential rise in antisemitism on their watch”.
Institutional antisemitism is owned by the Left. One hundred percent.
If you can’t admit that, you can’t deal with it.
Katrina hylton22 December at 12:49 am
This is absolutely common sense. I’ve avoided mostly political narrative post bondi, the blame game. I’m glad I read this article, a very clear perspective.
Rachel Sussman20 December at 11:12 am
Everyone is entitled to their view and so is the author of this article, still it is to my view, a grossly misguided one.
It is true that no Government can guarantee that acts of terror will never be committed. It is equally true that every Government has a responsibility to apply actions to protect all its citizens to the maximum within its power. This Government has miserably failed…
It failed since the 8/10/25, it ignored, it excused, it hid under ‘free speech’ banner allowing insanities to be chanted… it chose to ignore the real Jewish community leaders and listen to fringe groups like JCA… it ignored political realities and historical realities, it failed on every level.
If the author of this article wishes to justify the PM , he is eligible to do so, but he is laying the ground to another Bondi Beach and this to me is shameful!
Robin Barker20 December at 08:55 am
Wow…really??
Rafael Bierig Erlich20 December at 06:39 am
Thank you, Simon, for the clear opinion piece, and TJA for publishing it. Regardless of our personal views and biases, the Australian Jewish community definitely needs better representation of its wide range of perspectives, rather than the homogenous and narrow view currently favoured by most Australian Jewish communication outlets
Martin19 December at 11:21 am
It was Albanese’s responsibility not to stop anti-semitism but to reduce from ‘probable’ to ‘highly unlikely’ the likelihood of a fatal terrorist attack against the group most likely be attacked, the Jews. He failed.
No ethnic or religious group should be expected to accept a ‘probable’ likelihood of being mass murdered.
Knowing the likelihood, his responsibility was to ensure ASIO and federal and state police were actively cooperating to identify, monitor and intercept those groups and/or individuals most likely to organise a fatal attack. Albanese must have known Islamic extremist groups and individuals connected to them were at the very top of the list.
He failed to get the authorities to act.
Ian Grinblat19 December at 09:01 am
Simon, I am older than you and need no education on the history of referendums in Australia – I was talking about Albo’s non-carriage of the Voice referendum and then his disavowal of any responsibility for its failure.
He has never been, is not now, and will never be any part of a true leader (as opposed to a political officer) except the fundament.
Simon Tatz19 December at 01:16 am
In reply to Ian Grinblat’s comments about the Voice referendum, of the 45 referendums held in Australia, only eight have been carried, seven with bi-partisan support. In 1988, Australians voted against altering the Constitution to enshrine various civil rights, including freedom of religion. We voted against becoming a Republic, and enshrining the principle of one vote, one value. Without the support of the conservatives, who opposed First Nations people having a voice over laws that affect them, the Voice referendum was unlikely to pass.
Dror Doron18 December at 10:52 pm
No country is 100% protected from terrorism, but letting the Labor government of the hook like you suggest is borderline gaslighting.
Australia failed to take steps other Western countries did such as criminalizing calls like “glibalize the Intifada” and “from the river to the sea”. It also failed to out law the radical Hizb Al Tahrir, like other Western countries did and handeled with a very soft hand those who carried Hamas and Hezbollah flags or pictures of Nassrallah and Sinwar – a clear terror supporting acts.
Leadership is measured not in photo ops and sympathetic statements but in actions and results.
Albanese’s failure can not be oversighted.
Stuart B.18 December at 09:38 pm
Well said. Politicising by the LNP and other right wingers for their own gains is disgraceful. The lead up to this horrendous day was also under the watch of the LNP, from John Howard and onwards.
John Gould18 December at 10:56 am
Thank you for your article, It helped me to decide to unsubscribe to this biased publication. Your time spent in the labour party has blinded you to the obvious things that could have been done to make our community safer. How many people were charged with racial incitement after Gas The Jews at the Opera House?
David Milstein18 December at 06:31 am
I respectfully disagree. Politicians are elected LEADERS. Their job is to LEAD. The Albanese Government has sown NO leadership in ACTUALLY trying to address antisemitism or taking responsibility for their failure.
Ian Grinblat18 December at 06:21 am
Simon,
Just as when Scott Morrison claimed that he didn’t hold a hose, Albo doesn’t pass the pub test.
Forget Jillian Segal, forget the unbreakable antisemitism-Islamophobia nexus, forget Senator Wong’s refusal to visit the Nova site, forget the insult delivered to his own Attorney-General by sending him to Israel to speak “Jew to Jew”.
This PM refuses to t olead and then refuses to accept responsibility for failure – I am thinking here of “The Voice to Parliament”. As leader, Albo made it his project and then invested no effort. If a government proposes a referendum, it must be responsible for the success of that referendum. If the government thinks that the No case is negative (what else can it be?), who but the PM is responsible to overturn the ‘misinformation’? And then, when the proposal was defeated, Albo sid, ‘Nothing to do with me.”,
That’s how I feel – may Albo have nothing to do with me, and soon!