Former federal treasurer Josh Frydenberg has launched a blistering attack on the Albanese government’s response to hate speech and extremism, accusing senior ministers Penny Wong and Tony Burke of failing to protect Jewish Australians in the lead-up to the Bondi Beach terror attack.
In his first major print interview since addressing mourners at Bondi Pavilion earlier this week, Frydenberg described the government’s newly announced crackdown on hate speech and radical preachers as “too little and too late”, arguing that decisive action should have come well before the deadly attack.
Speaking to News Corp, Frydenberg said the massacre at Bondi Beach represented a profound failure of national leadership and warned that Australia’s security had been compromised by inaction at the highest levels.
“While the public is now awake to the nature of the threat, the government is still asleep,” he said. “People are genuinely asking: if the Prime Minister cannot lead us in this crisis, how can he lead us out of this crisis?”
Frydenberg said there was a lack of urgency and conviction within the government, claiming expressions of solidarity with the Jewish community had been hollow without meaningful enforcement measures.
“The government’s words of support have been meaningless. Only actions are meaningful,” he said, adding that the death of 10-year-old Matilda, the youngest victim of the attack, should serve as a catalyst for lasting change.
The comments came after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced Sunday would be a national “day of reflection” to honour the victims, alongside plans for a national gun buyback scheme. The government has also pledged tougher penalties for hate speech, action against extremist preachers, and measures to combat antisemitism in schools and universities.
Frydenberg reserved his strongest criticism for Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke, describing him as “the wrong person” to be responsible for domestic security at a time of heightened threat.
“Tony Burke is weak and always full of excuses,” he said. “He is endangering our security. We need a home affairs minister focused on protecting people, not chasing votes.”
He said Burke must answer serious questions about how the deadliest terrorist attack in Australia’s history occurred while he held responsibility for national security.
Frydenberg was equally scathing of Foreign Minister Penny Wong, claiming Jewish Australians had lost confidence in her leadership.
“No one has seen evidence of her commitment to the safety of the Jewish community or her understanding of the gravity of the situation,” he said, accusing her of adopting an increasingly hostile stance towards Israel since the Hamas attacks of October 7, 2023.
A spokeswoman for Wong rejected the criticism, saying the Foreign Minister had consistently condemned antisemitism and pointed to the expulsion of Iran’s ambassador following the IRGC-linked firebombing of Melbourne’s Adass Synagogue as evidence of decisive action.
Frydenberg also criticised NSW Premier Chris Minns, despite acknowledging his strong rhetoric against antisemitism. He said Minns’ government had presided over a period in which three national icons — the Sydney Opera House, the Harbour Bridge and Bondi Beach — had been desecrated by hatred and violence.
“Citizens of NSW who survived the Holocaust could not survive Bondi Beach,” he said.
Asked whether the crisis might prompt a return to frontline politics ahead of the 2028 federal election, Frydenberg said he had made no decisions about his political future.
