“Stand together.” It’s not often you can quote both major party leaders at once, but just now we can. Both Anthony Albanese and Sussan Ley used this exact phrase in their respective Christmas messages this week, moved by the gut-wrenching context of the Bondi terrorist attack. A fine sentiment. A necessary one. But also exactly the reverse of what politics has modelled since.

Almost every day has brought some fresh, visceral controversy. Over charges the Albanese government was so inattentive to antisemitism it is complicit in this tragedy. Over whether it named Islamist terrorism enough. Over whether gun control reforms or royal commissions are necessary. Over who has always supported stronger hate speech laws and who has a history of opposing them. Over laws designed to curtail protests – and the inevitable legal challenges that will follow. Over whether political opponents cried enough, or at all. Over an immigration program that allows “filth” into this country, to quote one formerly senior politician.

Beachgoers walk past flowers and candles left in remembrance of the victims of the Bondi mass shooting.Credit: Getty Images

That’s the thing about standing together: it’s exceptionally hard to do when you can’t agree about what you’re standing on. And that, in turn, is the thing about terrorism: it is designed to scorch common ground. We don’t need to guess at this, especially in the case of Islamic State, whose propaganda tracts talk explicitly about eliminating the “grey zone” where people of different faiths and worldviews can co-exist. Obviously that strategy is most effective when the fault lines are already active. That’s been true of our........

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