On International Holocaust Remembrance Day, we hold on to the memories of millions. We reflect on the great multitude of Jewish life that the Holocaust robbed from the world - all of that energy, potential, inspiration, talent and love - and we hold their names and their faces in our hearts.
We tend to these memories because we cannot allow the Holocaust to recede into history. It was a pitiless and unrelenting act of cruelty that was long in the planning, cold in its calculation, and carried out on a scale that falls across the decades like a terrible shadow.
The devastation felt when witnessing the horror, destruction and brutality inflicted by Hamas on October 7 is reminiscent of the dark and painful stories of the past. For the Australian Jewish community, those are the stories of their families.
Eighty years since the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau our observance carries a powerful message about the enduring strength of the Jewish people, and about our unwavering commitment to combat hateful prejudice in all its forms.
Tragically, we are not yet free of antisemitism. It stands in vile opposition to all we are as a nation and all that we have built - together - over generations. We will not tolerate it in any form. It has no place in our nation, and we will combat it with the full force of our laws and with total commitment from every level of government.
Jewish Australians are integral to the story of Australia, and to the even greater future within our reach. Australia proudly welcomed so many survivors of the horrors of the Holocaust, offering refuge and hope. We embraced the Jewish community then, and we embrace you now.
May you find comfort, hope and strength amid the memories today. And may we all, as fellow Australians, rededicate ourselves to honouring and rejoicing in our shared humanity.
