Mayor says Bondi Royal Commission must examine local antisemitism
Ballina Mayor Sharon Cadwallader says the Royal Commission into the Bondi Junction massacre must examine how antisemitism is manifesting in regional communities, including the Northern Rivers.
Cr Cadwallader told Ballina News Daily she will seek to have Ballina Shire Council make a formal submission to the Royal Commission, arguing that hatred and intimidation directed at Jewish Australians is not confined to major cities.
If Council does not support her proposed mayoral minute at its February meeting, she said she will lodge an individual submission.
“I will stand up for the Jewish community,” she said.
“That is not negotiable.”
Mayor Cadwallader pictured in Ballina at the Opening of the Northern Rivers Community Gallery January exhibition on Thursday evening.
Main image: NAZI symbols spray painted on the car of serial protestor Gareth Smith, taken outside the Byron Bay RSL Club last November (Facebook)
Royal Commission overdue
The Prime Minister announced the Royal Commission yesterday, following weeks of mounting pressure and unanswered questions surrounding the Bondi attack.
Cr Cadwallader said the delay had fuelled community concern.
“People want to know why this wasn’t avoided and whether more could have been done,” she said.
“That’s a fair question, and it deserves proper scrutiny.”
She said the credibility of the inquiry would ultimately depend on its terms of reference and the transparency of its findings.
Regional dimension often overlooked
Cr Cadwallader said the Bondi tragedy had forced a broader national conversation, but warned against viewing antisemitism solely as an urban issue.
“This runs deeper than Bondi, it exists in regional Australia, including here.”
She said Jewish Australians were increasingly relocating to regional areas because they no longer felt safe in capital cities, and that local communities had a responsibility to ensure they were welcomed and protected.
“That’s who we should be as Australians,” she said.
“Inclusive, respectful and united.”
Division and intimidation
The Mayor said recent incidents in the Northern Rivers had highlighted how quickly overseas conflicts were spilling into local communities, creating division and fear.
She said conduct framed as political protest was, in many cases, perceived by residents as targeting Jewish people and Jewish-owned businesses.
“It may not be on the same scale as Bondi, but hatred is infectious if it’s allowed to take hold.”
Submission planned
Cr Cadwallader said she will move a mayoral minute at Council’s February meeting calling for Ballina Shire Council to formally raise regional antisemitism with the Royal Commission.
If unsuccessful, she said she would act independently.
“If Council doesn’t support it, I will make my own submission,” she said.
“These are my values.”
She said the inquiry must lead to meaningful outcomes, not symbolic gestures.
“This can’t be a tick-and-flick exercise, there has to be policy change.”
“A line in the sand”
Cr Cadwallader said recent months had been an awakening, following conversations with Jewish residents and attendance at community events across the Northern Rivers.
“I’ve listened, and I’ve learned. Things are happening in our communities that many people didn’t realise.”
She said the loss of life at Bondi should mark a turning point.
“It should draw a line in the sand. “This has to stop.”
