Senator the Hon Michaelia Cash
Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs
Leader of the Opposition in Senate
Senator for Western Australia
Sky News The Kenny Report
15 December 2025
Topics: Bondi Beach shooting, antisemitism, immigration
E&OE
Chris Kenny
Shadow Foreign Affairs Minister, Michaelia Cash, thanks for joining us. Michaelia, does the Albanese government and in particular the Prime Minister, bear any sense of culpability for the way that antisemitism and Islamist extremism has been expressed here in Bondi?
Senator Cash
Yes, they do. This has been a complete, total and utter failure of leadership by our Prime Minister. The Jewish people for over two years now, since October the eighth, when we saw those horrific scenes on the Sydney Opera House, have been calling for leadership from our Prime Minister, and each time he has stood up, Chris, and provided us with nothing more than weasel words. He has chosen appeasement over consequences, and now we wake up today as Australians in a changed country. Chris, this is not the Australia I know and love. Jewish people were slaughtered on Bondi Beach, because antisemitism has been allowed to take hold under the Albanese government. Today, Mr. Albanese stood up and said he will do whatever it takes to combat antisemitism. Well, guess what, Chris, we are going to hold the Prime Minister to his word. Enough of the excuses, enough of the weasel words. The first thing the Prime Minister needs to answer Chris, is this. Jillian Segal, your hand picked envoy. She did not provide you six months ago with a list of slogans, Prime Minister Albanese, Jillian Segal provided you and your government with a to do list. You have not even had the decency to respond to your own hand picked envoy’s report. What are you going to do? And as Sussan Ley has made clear, Chris, if we need to recall the parliament, we stand ready to return to Canberra to change the laws. The laws are clearly not strong enough. The Segal report deserves implementation immediately, and we stand ready to do that.
Chris Kenny
Sure does. You’re seeing live pictures now of the commemoration here at Bondi Pavilion, where people have been turning up and laying wreaths all day. Many people have made speeches or said silent prayers. Others have spoken to the audiences here, and we’re waiting on the New South Wales Premier, Chris Minns as well. But just to explain those pictures you’re seeing there, there have been all sorts of comments made, speeches made, and performances, if you like, sharing thoughts and emotions with people here, if they’ve come and gone, all day. Michaelia, I want to let you know that I started the day this morning in Ararat in western Victoria, and I saw a couple of women walking their dog at six o’clock in the morning as I was trying to get back here, and I asked them how they felt about Bondi. It’s very close to me. This is a beach I come to every day. And they were gut wrenched, and they teared up, and they said, the government needs to look at immigration. Is immigration part of the discussion here?
Senator Cash
I think we have to have a very serious discussion, Chris, now about values-based immigration. Yes, this was an attack, a direct attack on the Jewish community. Members of the Jewish community were slaughtered last night on Bondi Beach. But this was also an attack on all of Australia, on our way of life, on our safety, on our culture, on the Australia that we love and hold so dear. So yes, I am very prepared now, Chris, to have an open conversation on the type of Australia that we need. But again, shame on the Prime Minister, because Jillian Segal, in one of her recommendations, said we needed to look at settings, and in particular the ability to cancel a visa as quickly and efficiently as possible, in light of antisemitism. Again, the Prime Minister has done nothing. I mean, as Josh Frydenberg correctly wrote today, this is the Prime Minister who, on October the eighth, he said to all of Australians, but in particular, the Jewish community, I will not, as your Prime Minister, allow antisemitism to get a foothold in Australia. Well, Prime Minister, you fail Australians by your inaction and your appeasement and your excuses as opposed to consequences and enforcement.
Chris Kenny
Michaelia Cash, thanks so much. Obviously, I can hear the passion in your voice. I do want to add that I think this immigration debate has has to be part of the discussion to have it be careful and sensible about it, yes, but we have to have this immigration debate. I do quickly point out, though, that hero we saw yesterday taking down one of the gunmen is a Syrian refugee.
Senator Cash
Absolutely.
Chris Kenny
So it’s about values based-
Senator Cash
He was amazing, what an amazing man.
Chris Kenny
And many members of our Jewish community, of course, are immigrants. Thanks so much for joining me, Michaelia.
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