Josh Frydenberg blamed "radical Islam," government inaction and inadequate security screening for migrants for contributing to the Bondi Beach attack that killed 15. He criticized the government's focus on gun control alone and urged tougher action against hate preachers and extremist groups such as Hizb ut-Tahrir. Frydenberg warned that Jewish Australians are facing escalating harassment since Oct. 7, 2023, and said the government will be judged on concrete actions, not rhetoric.
Former Treasurer Says ‘Radical Islam’ and Lax Screening Contributed to Bondi Beach Massacre — Calls For Stronger Action
An anti-Israel protestor's high-vis jacket during a march against the Jewish state by the Sydney Harbor Bridge in Australia. Aug. 2025.
Josh Frydenberg, a former federal treasurer and longtime member of Australia’s parliament, told Fox News Digital that Islamic extremism, government inaction and insufficient migrant security screening contributed to the deadliest terrorist attack in the nation’s history at Bondi Beach, which left 15 people dead.
Speaking from Sydney, Frydenberg criticized what he described as a government focus on weapons rather than the ideological drivers behind the violence.
"While guns may have stolen the lives of the 15 innocent souls killed at Bondi Beach, it was actually radical Islam which pulled the trigger," he said, arguing officials have concentrated on the weapon rather than the underlying ideology.
Rabbi Yossi Friedman speaks to people gathering at a flower memorial by the Bondi Pavilion at Bondi Beach on Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025, following Sunday's shooting in Sydney, Australia.
Frydenberg told Fox News Digital that Australia has accepted large numbers of arrivals from volatile parts of the Middle East — explicitly naming Gaza — and that some migrants and refugees have not faced sufficiently rigorous security vetting.
"We’ve taken thousands of people from the terrorist hotspot in the Middle East, namely Gaza," he said in a Zoom interview. "We have also taken people from many other countries without sufficient security checks, and we are paying a price in Australia for having people in our country who do not share the same commitment that I do and others do to democratic ideals."
Australian Federal Police (AFP) Commissioner Krissy Barrett, NSW Premier Chris Minns, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon, Minister for Police and Counter-Terrorism Yasmin Catley, attend a press conference during a visit at NSW Police headquarters, following a deadly shooting incident during a Jewish holiday celebration at Bondi Beach, in Sydney, Australia, Dec. 16, 2025.
His remarks come as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced measures to tighten Australia’s already strict firearms laws after the massacre, including plans for a national gun buyback and additional restrictions. Frydenberg warned that a sole focus on guns risks avoiding a broader reckoning with what he described as years of unchecked extremism, rising antisemitism and lapses in intelligence and security that have left Jewish Australians feeling vulnerable.
"The government needs to do a lot more to tackle the hate preachers, to tackle the organizations that are spreading that hate and to ensure that they prosecute those people who are inciting violence," he said, urging tougher enforcement and prosecutions.
A member of the Jewish community recovers an item from the Adass Israel Synagogue on Dec. 6, 2024, in Melbourne, Australia. An arson attack on the Adass Israel Synagogue in Melbourne forced congregants to flee as flames engulfed the building early on Friday morning. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese condemned the incident as an antisemitic act, emphasizing that such violence at a place of worship is unacceptable in Australia.
Frydenberg also called for Australia to follow other democracies in proscribing extremist organizations. He referred to Hizb ut-Tahrir (often transliterated as Hezbat al-Tahrir), which he noted is banned in the United Kingdom, Germany and some Muslim-majority countries, and said it should be illegal in Australia as well.
On the safety of Jewish Australians, Frydenberg said the community is at a breaking point, citing what he described as an unprecedented escalation in harassment, intimidation and violence since Oct. 7, 2023. He listed incidents including doxxing of Jewish artists, boycotts of Jewish-owned businesses, firebombing of synagogues and attacks on childcare centres, and said university campuses have at times become "hotbeds of hate."
Frydenberg’s comments drew renewed attention after a tense interview with Australia’s ABC, in which anchor Sarah Ferguson asked whether his criticism should be viewed through a political lens. Frydenberg responded sharply, calling the suggestion offensive and describing heightened security measures at institutions his family uses, from armed guards at his children’s school to police presence at aged-care centres and community sporting events.
Rejecting claims of partisanship, he said the issue transcends politics. "This is not a partisan issue. This is a leadership issue. This is about the safety and the security and the soul of Australia," Frydenberg said. He added that the Albanese government will be judged on actions rather than words and urged more substantive measures to address extremism and community safety.
