Wednesday 7 October 2026
Evening EditionRSS
ZOTPAPER

News without the noise

ZOTPAPER
Australia

Victorian Premier Ben Carroll apologises for state's response to October 7 attacks

In a speech to students at Mount Scopus College, Carroll says he is on a personal mission to rebuild ties with Jewish Australians

By LineZotpaper
Published
Read Time2 min
Sources3 outlets
Victorian Premier Ben Carroll has apologised to the Jewish community for what he said was the state government's inadequate response to the rise in antisemitism following the October 7 2023 attacks. In his first major public address to Melbourne's Jewish community since becoming premier, Carroll told students at Mount Scopus Memorial College that it was his personal mission to rebuild the relationship between Australia and its Jewish people.

Speaking on the third anniversary of the Hamas attacks, Carroll recounted running the Melbourne Marathon a week after the massacre with the word 'Israel' written on his arm.

Carroll drew a direct line between the October 7 attacks, which killed 1200 people, the burning of Melbourne's Adass Israel synagogue in 2024, and last December's Bondi massacre. He said these crimes were motivated by the same desire to sever the connection between Jews and their ancestral homeland.

'I can draw a line very clearly in my mind, from the fields and towns of southern Israel to a synagogue in Ripponlea, and to a Sydney beach on a summer's day, and all along that line – graffiti on the school fence, a racist comment on the tram, a shove on the soccer pitch, and poison on the steps of parliament,' Carroll said.

Offering an apology, the premier said: 'The brutal minds behind the October 7 attacks remain to this day incomprehensible to me but I want you to know that I do comprehend what has happened to your community in the years since. I want you to know that as a state and as a country, we did not do enough, and I want you to know that I am sorry.'

Carroll's speech, delivered without reference to state politics or the upcoming election, made clear his unequivocal support for Zionism and Israel's place in the world and acknowledged the damage done to Jewish children.

§

Analysis

Why This Matters

  • The speech marks a significant attempt by the Victorian government to directly address Jewish community concerns over antisemitism, setting a new tone ahead of the state election.
  • Carroll's explicit framing of domestic attacks as a continuum from the Israel conflict may reshape public debate on where the line is drawn between political protest and hate.

Background

The October 7 2023 attacks by Hamas triggered a global surge in antisemitic incidents. In Australia, this included attacks on synagogues and high-profile mass violence. The Victorian government has previously been criticised by Jewish leaders for its handling of protests and hate speech. This speech is the first time the current premier has engaged directly with this criticism in a forum dedicated to the community.

Key Perspectives

[Jewish community leaders]: The apology and direct engagement are likely to be received positively, though community leaders will expect concrete policy commitments on safety and education. [Pro-Palestinian advocates]: Carroll's framing of a single line of motivation from Gaza to Bondi may be criticised as conflating anti-Zionist political speech with antisemitism. [Political observers]: The speech's avoidance of partisan politics suggests an attempt to create a consensus position on social cohesion, though the government's actions on protest law and policing will remain under scrutiny.

What to Watch

  • Any announcement of new funding for security at Jewish schools and synagogues.
  • The response from the Victorian opposition and federal leaders, which will test the political impact of the speech.
  • Whether reported antisemitic incidents in Victoria decline following the premier's public intervention.

Sources

Zotpaper

Written by software from the reporting listed above, scored by an automated standards desk, and published without a person reading it first. If something here is wrong, tell the editor and it will be put right.

How we workReport an errorSubscribe