This week it feels wrong to talk about politics in the wake of the horrific antisemitic massacre at Bondi Beach on Sunday. Australians and Sydneysiders in particular are still trying to make sense of the senseless.

But the fact is that the response to the massacre has been deeply political, and things got divisive very quickly.

So this week on Inside Politics we are going to discuss the political response to the incident and how it might affect our national life in the months and years to come.

Jacqueline Maley is joined by political correspondent Natassia Chrysanthos.

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Hi, it’s Samantha Selinger-Morris here, the host of The Morning Edition. We’re bringing you the best episodes of 2025 before your Morning Edition team returns mid-January.

This one is about Belle Gibson.

One of the original wellness influencers, Gibson claimed to have healed herself from terminal cancer through healthy eating. The problem was, she never had cancer.

This episode was recorded shortly before the release of the worldwide hit television series Apple Cider Vinegar, which was based on the work of two of our journalists, Beau Donelly and Nick Toscano, in exposing Gibson’s cancer con.

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On the evening of the shooting at Bondi, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said: “An attack on Jewish Australians is an attack on every Australian” – that was indeed proven when the entire community sprung into action, those who ran towards the disaster, not away from it.

There are tales of heroism, like the couple who first tried to stop the gunmen and paid with their lives, the man who single-handedly wrestled the rifle out of the shooter’s hands and those who shielded their loved ones and strangers from bullets.

Today, chief reporter Jordan Baker, on the acts of bravery and kindness at Bondi.

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When Michael Visontay heard of the shootings at Bondi Beach on Sunday, his first instinct was to call his son, who often swam there. Then came the sickening feeling of dread, when his son didn’t answer his phone.

Something that thickened this dread even further, was a family history that taught him to always be alert to possible threats. His father and grandfather survived the Holocaust after living in concentration camps. His maternal grandmother was killed in Auschwitz.

Visontay is far from alone. Australia has a higher proportion of Holocaust survivors than any country in the world, besides Israel.

Today, Michael Visontay, author of the book Noble Fragments, and a former senior editor at The Sydney Morning Herald, on how this unique makeup of Australian Jewry impacts their response to the Bondi terror attack.

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We're releasing an additional episode today featuring one of our reporters, Elias Visontay, who was at Bondi Beach with a friend on the night of the terror attack.

Elias recounts his first-hand experience as the gunmen fired bullets at the unexpecting crowds.

You can read his story on our websites here.

And if you’re struggling with the bad news at the moment, support is available on Lifeline 13 11 14 or NSW Health mental health line, available 24/7 on 1800 011 511.

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Sunday’s Bondi Beach terrorist attack, which targeted a Hanukkah celebration, was the worst mass shooting in Australia since Port Arthur. Some in the Jewish community have been fearing a deadly attack for years.

This episode features the stories of witnesses, such as reporter Elias Visontay, and mother-of-three Jacqui Cohen, who took cover with her 12-year-old daughter.

Crime and justice reporter Amber Schultz, who spoke to the mother and wife of the suspected gunmen, also details what is known about the shooters, their motive and how they had access to weapons in a country lauded for its gun control.

F​or crisis support, call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or NSW Health Mental Health Line​, available 24/7 on 1800 011 511.

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As we record this on Sunday night, 11 people have been confirmed dead in a mass shooting at Bondi Beach in Sydney, with the New South Wales Police Commissioner declaring it a terrorist incident.

One shooter was also killed and multiple people were injured at Bondi, where hundreds of people were gathered to mark the first night of Hanukkah, the most joyous holiday on the Jewish calendar.

Among the injured is a survivor of the October 7 attack in Israel, who said he moved to Australia only two weeks ago to work with the Jewish community to fight antisemitism.

Today, chief reporter Jordan Baker from the scene of the Bondi Beach massacre.

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In this bonus episode of Inside Politics, former primer minister Tony Abbott joins host Jacqueline Maley and chief political correspondent Paul Sakkal.

Abbott has penned a new book, Australia: A History, describing a more positive view of our past. He also discusses the current political and cultural challenges facing the Liberal Party, as well as reflecting on his own political career, including his relationship with Julia Gillard and the accusations of misogyny.

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