Australian Prime Minister Radio Interview – Gold 104.3
Very important day for all of us. It is a National Day of Mourning after the Bondi attacks. And to tell us all about it and why this matters and the invitation tonight as well, 7:01pm, is the Prime Minister. Welcome back to the show.
ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: Good to be with you.
O’CONNELL: Now, tell us about today. This is a National Day of Mourning. It’s been billed as ‘Light will win, gathering of unity and remembrance’, which is beautiful. And what does that mean to you, Prime Minister?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, it is words that have come from the spiritual leader of the Chabad Jewish community there in Bondi, Rabbi Ulman, and I think they’re very poetic and it says a lot. Sometimes just a few words can. This needs to be a moment of remembrance for the 15 innocent lives that were taken on that devastating evening at Bondi Beach. But it also needs to be a message of hope that light will win. It was the first night of Chanukah, which the Jewish community celebrate the victory of light over darkness. It’s a really positive message of hope. And a gathering of unity is calling for all of us as Australians, Jewish and non-Jewish, to commemorate the day in collective spirit, to remember why we are the greatest nation on Earth, that we are a nation that do respect each other. People of different faiths, different backgrounds have come to make Australia their home. And that unity is what is so important going forward. So, I think this will be a moment of unity and a moment of hope, but also an opportunity for Australia to look forward as well and to cherish what makes us such a great nation.
O’CONNELL: Well said. I think it’s a lovely thing. I think it’s a very important thing for all of us tonight. So, 7:01pm, and what is it that, you know, there are a lot of people listening all across Australia right now, Prime Minister. And so, your words can really help them tonight. What can people do because people want to show solidarity? We’re living in very divided times. You know, around the world we see the news, we see the news like Bondi happening here as well. This doesn’t feel like Australia. So, remembrance is also about remembering what it is, what matters to us to get around each other tonight. So, what can people do tonight at one minute past seven?
PRIME MINISTER: That’s right. At 7:01pm we’re asking that the nation pause for a minute’s silence out of respect for the victims of this terrorist attack. During the day, flags will be flown at half-mast at all Commonwealth and state buildings around the country and buildings and landmarks across the country, like the MCG, the Story Bridge, Adelaide Town Hall, Optus Stadium, will be lit up this evening. And we’ll see an installation which is 15 Pillars of Light, shining brightly into the night sky right across Australia. And the other thing that people can do this evening is light a candle and put it in their windowsill or the front of their home out of respect as well as a symbol of remembrance, of mourning and solidarity as well, will be a thing. The other, really something that I have been lifted up by is this concept that the Jewish community have of a Mitzvah, which is essentially an act of kindness, compassion, and a way of reaching out. It essentially can be, you know, volunteering, donating some money to a charity, helping a neighbour, you know, knocking on the door, asking, are people okay who might be living alone or people who are lonely, just an act of kindness. It’s a really lovely concept to show that we are a country that value, that attribute that we have of kindness and generosity. And it is a beautiful thing. I’ve been spoken to by a number of the family members who lost loved ones in this tragedy, and it is a really positive way of responding.
O’CONNELL: I know you’ve spoken with a lot of families. You spent a lot of time with them. How are they all doing? You know, it’s a chance for us to show that tonight where we stand together, but also, we stand with them in their grief as well, that they’re not forgotten. I know time does move on, but actually, it’s a chance for all of Australia to stand together with the Jewish community and people who lost their lives, but the families who are left behind without those family members.
PRIME MINISTER: That’s right. It’s been an incredibly tough period. These are people who were celebrating their faith in an event at Bondi Beach. It’s such an iconic location. When people think about Australia, many of the shots that will be taken overseas will be of that beautiful beach. And it’s a place of peace and gathering. And the local community there, the Chabad Jewish community, have gathered there for many years for the first night of Chanukah. And it’s an open event. They have pets and things for the children. They have a gathering with food and music and it’s a really positive event. And the fact that 15 people lost their lives, but many more injured as well. People I visited in hospitals, some are still doing it, incredibly, incredibly tough. It’s a difficult period and this is a time where I think the whole of Australia can wrap their arms around the community because it was a deliberate and conscious evil targeting of the Jewish community as well. It has had an impact on the entire Jewish Australian community. So, I think it is a way of us reaffirming that we not only want people to celebrate their faith and who they are, we all are enriched by the diversity in our community. And we really want to see tonight as, and today, is a real opportunity to reaffirm that.
O’CONNELL: I think it’s a lovely invitation for us all. Tell me this – when you talk about those who are injured, how is Ahmed? I know that everyone want to know, how is the great man? How is Ahmed? I understand he’s obviously still, he’s still going through his own journey of healing as well. Is he in America at the moment getting treatment, is that right?
PRIME MINISTER: He is. I think he has returned. My understanding is that he is back here. Many of the people who were injured essentially had shrapnel fragments still in them, and it’s expected that there’ll be a number of operations. Ahmed Al Ahmed is so positive, though. I visited him in hospital in the days after the attack. He’s a genuine hero and he is very positive going forward. But many of the people – there’s a young man, Yanky Super, who was a volunteer in what is the Jewish version of St. John’s Ambulance – will be more familiar to, I think, many of the listeners. He has literally – I’ve seen his X-rays. He has literally hundreds of bits of shrapnel still in him, in his torso. It’s unbelievable that he was able to survive. When you see this, another X-ray that shows a bullet very close to his lung. And one of the lungs has been contracted, is a lot smaller than the other one. You literally can see the damage that’s done. And he is so positive, it’s extraordinary. I’ve met with him a couple of times. He was in Canberra this week and I also met with him in Sydney. And he’s just a delightful young man who’s absolutely determined to make a positive contribution to the nation. And there’s no bitterness.
O’CONNELL: Incredible.
PRIME MINISTER: There’s nothing there but joy and pride. This is a guy who was again, one of the people essentially running towards danger, helping out his fellow people, fellow humanity. He’s a remarkable young man. And I’ve been privileged to meet so many courageous, thoughtful, positive people as a result of what occurred. It’s been a real privilege. They’ve been so generous in welcoming me into homes and synagogues and having meetings. I’ve had them at Kirribilli House and other members of the community have been at Admiralty House, at the Governor-General’s. And this week I sat down on Monday in my office in Parliament House, and, you know, it’s a community that is mourning, is going through an incredibly difficult time. And I just hope, and I’m sure that it will be a positive, uplifting experience for them today as much as it will also be very difficult. They’re very much missing their loved ones.
O’CONNELL: I think it’s a very important thing that we mark today because I think it’s also to show that we’re with the people who lost their loved ones. But also, all those stories you just shared that we don’t know about, to show that we see what they did. And that’s the true spirit of Australia. It’s not the attack, it’s those stories you just talked about. That young guy with shrapnel in him who ran towards danger. That’s the real story that happened over the last couple of weeks. And that’s why today really is a day to reflect that back to those people as well and to show the Jewish community that we stand united with them as well. Prime Minister, I know you’ve got a lot on today. Thank you very much for talking to us. It’s at 7:01pm tonight. That’s right, isn’t it? Light will win.
PRIME MINISTER: That’s right. Thanks very much, Christian.
O’CONNELL: Thank you.
https://www.pm.gov.au/media/radio-interview-gold-1043
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