Australia has changed forever following the Bondi terror attack, according to Federal Member for Page and Deputy Leader of the Federal National Party Kevin Hogan.

Speaking during a condolence motion in the House of Representatives, Mr Hogan said the nation was forced to confront an act of hatred that defied comprehension.

“What happened on the 14th of December … we literally had evil in its worst form walking on the soil of Bondi,” Mr Hogan said.

He told parliament the attack was deliberate, targeted and indiscriminate.

“Two men felt okay because of their hatred of a certain religion, to walk to a very iconic public place — Bondi Beach — and randomly shoot people,” he said.

“They randomly shot people they didn’t know, randomly shot a 10-year-old girl, randomly shot old people who were defenceless.”

Mr Hogan said the scale of hatred involved was confronting.

“That’s quite horrific when we think about that, that there are people who have that much hate in their heart,” he said.

He said the consequences for the country would be lasting.

“Australia has changed forever. Bondi has changed everything.

“I’m sure a lot of us agree with that.”

Mr Hogan said confronting extremist hatred was necessary in order to counter it.

“There are Islamic extremists who hate people because of the religious practice and belief they have.

“We have to acknowledge that, because in acknowledging it, we can then arm ourselves to do what we need to do to combat it.”

He also referenced the Hamas attacks in Israel, saying celebrations of violence had been deeply disturbing.

“I was shocked … that a couple of nights later there were people celebrating that at the Opera House. 

“That was a wake-up call for all of us.”

Mr Hogan described visiting Bondi two days after the attack and said the atmosphere was overwhelming.

“You could feel this grief … almost coming from the clouds. It was oppressive.  It was like one of those terrible scenes from a movie.”

He said the area remained frozen in time.

“There were bikes and cars just randomly left, police tape still up, and cars with bullet holes in them. 

“Just being there was very, very traumatic.”

Despite the horror, he said moments of unity stood out.

“There was spontaneous singing of the national anthem and spontaneous singing of Waltzing Matilda.

“That was incredibly uplifting in the middle of so much trauma.”

Mr Hogan said antisemitism had endured for centuries and must be confronted.

“Good and evil has been in the world for thousands of years, and antisemitism has been in the world for thousands of years.

“World War Two is a recent example, but it goes back much further than that.”

Reflecting on the parliamentary response, Mr Hogan acknowledged the weight of the moment.

“Obviously, a lot of very heartfelt speeches have been made today. 

“There’s a lot of grief and trauma in this chamber today, because we’ve had victims, survivors and families of the victims here.”

He concluded by commending the condolence motion.

“I give my love and best wishes to the Jewish community in our country,” Mr Hogan said.

Federal MP for Richmond Justine Elliot was granted leave of absence from parliament for family reasons.