EXCLUSIVE: A former Australian government minister has attributed the country’s deadliest terrorist incident to a mix of Islamic extremism, government inaction, and inadequate security screening for migrants from volatile regions in the Middle East.
Josh Frydenberg, who previously served as Australia’s Treasurer and Member of Parliament, shared with Fox News Digital from Sydney that, “Although firearms ended the lives of 15 innocent people at Bondi Beach, it was radical Islam that truly pulled the trigger.” He criticized the government’s post-attack response for focusing more on the weapon used rather than the underlying ideology that fueled the violence.
An anti-Israel protestor was spotted wearing a high-visibility jacket during a demonstration against the Jewish state by the Sydney Harbor Bridge in Australia, August 2025. (Ayush Kumar/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
During a Zoom interview with Fox News Digital, Frydenberg emphasized, “We’ve welcomed thousands of individuals from the Middle Eastern conflict zones, particularly Gaza. Moreover, we’ve accepted people from various countries without conducting thorough security checks, and now Australia is facing the consequences of harboring those who don’t share our commitment to democratic values.”
Frydenberg’s comments emerge as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese proposes tightening Australia’s already stringent gun laws following the tragedy. These plans include a new national gun buyback initiative and increased firearms restrictions. However, in his conversation with Fox News Digital, Frydenberg expressed concern that these measures might sidestep confronting the deeper issues of neglected extremism, growing antisemitism, and security oversights, which have left Jewish Australians more exposed.
Rabbi Yossi Friedman addressed a crowd gathered at a floral tribute by the Bondi Pavilion at Bondi Beach on Tuesday, December 16, 2025, in the aftermath of Sunday’s shooting in Sydney, Australia. (Mark Baker/AP Photo)
“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.”
Frydenberg said Australia has failed to take steps adopted by other Western democracies, including banning extremist groups that remain legal inside the country.
“Hezbat al-Tahrir, which is banned in the United Kingdom, banned in Germany, banned in moderate Islamic states, is not banned in Australia, and it should be.”
Asked whether Jewish Australians feel safe, Frydenberg said the situation has reached a breaking point.
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. (Hollie Adams/Reuters)
“Australia is unsafe for Jewish people right now,” he said, citing what he described as an unprecedented escalation in harassment, intimidation and violence since Oct. 7, 2023.
“We’ve seen Jewish artists that have been doxxed, Jewish businesses that have been boycotted, houses of worship, synagogues that have been firebombed, as well as childcare centers,” he said. “Our universities are no longer homes of education. They’ve become hotbeds of hate as people have harassed and intimidated and acted violently towards Jewish students and staff.”
His warnings gained renewed attention this week after a separate television interview he gave to Australia’s ABC network went viral following a tense exchange with anchor Sarah Ferguson, who questioned whether his criticism of the government should be viewed through a political lens.
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. (Asanka Ratnayake/Getty Images))
“I’m deeply offended by what you just said,” Frydenberg responded. “That is an insult. That is an insult to say that there’s any political motivation in this.”
“My children go to a school where there are armed guards outside,” he continued. “When I visit a Jewish Aged Care Center, there are armed guards outside. When I send my kids to Jewish sporting clubs, there are police cars out there and police tape. How should we live with this? Why should we live with this?”
Frydenberg rejected the suggestion that his warnings were partisan, arguing the issue cuts across 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,” he said.
People walk past a memorial drawn on the wall of a walk bridge as a tribute following Sunday’s shooting at Bondi Beach, in Sydney, Friday, Dec. 19, 2025. (Steve Markham/AP Photo)
He told Fox News Digital the Albanese government’s response will ultimately be judged by what it does next, not by public statements.
“They won’t be judged by their words,” Frydenberg said. “They’ll only be judged by their actions, and they’ll need to do a lot more than they’ve announced today in order to turn the situation around.”
