Memo security agencies: Lives are worth more than a flip of a coin |
A 50 per cent chance. That’s the odds of a terror attack in Australia under a “probable” threat level, the current national threat level, according to ASIO chief Mike Burgess.
Ask anyone in Australia’s Jewish community, however, and they will tell you that an attack was all but certain before Sunday’s massacre of innocent people at Bondi Beach, where a crowd was celebrating the first night of Hanukkah.
A woman prays at a memorial site at Bondi Beach on Monday.Credit: Kate Geraghty
The terror at Bondi did not materialise out of the blue. Antisemitism has been on the rise in Australia since Hamas terrorists attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, and killed 1200 people and Israel responded with a devastating military campaign in Gaza, from where the attack was launched, resulting in tens of thousands of deaths.
National antisemitism envoy Jillian Segal and former treasurer Josh Frydenberg are among those in Australia who have been sounding the warnings for some time.
Segal, who only six months ago made a series of recommendations designed to curb antisemitism, said on Monday: “I have to say that I’ve been holding my breath, fearing that........