Redland City Councillor Paul Golle has outlined his views on national security, immigration policy and political leadership in response to the fatal Bondi beach shootings which left 16 people dead, arguing Australia can no longer rely on distance or existing systems to keep the community safe.
In a statement titled My position on Bondi, Cr Golle said the belief that Australia’s geographic isolation ensured safety had been outdated for decades.
The notion that Australia’s geographic distance provides security has been a falsehood for decades. The belief that we can maintain immigration policies which import and tolerate radical Islamist ideologies without consequence is nothing short of negligence.”
Cr Golle criticised political discourse at the federal level, saying it had contributed to what he described as a broader failure of governance.
When senators are permitted to stand in Parliament chanting ‘from the river to the sea’—a phrase widely understood as a call for conflict—and there are no meaningful grounds to address it, then we as a nation must accept responsibility. This is the outcome of repeatedly electing left-wing idealists from the Greens and other radical groups under the guise of ‘making a difference’ or ‘saving a few trees.’”
He rejected arguments that Australia’s gun laws were to blame for the attack, instead pointing to intelligence and enforcement failures.
Australia is no longer as safe as it once was, and attempting to blame this reality on gun control is, at best, a false start. One of the firearms involved was a pump-action shotgun, which is illegal in Australia and not easily licensed. This alone demonstrates that the perpetrators did not obtain firearms through lawful channels. These were not failures of gun legislation; they were failures of governance, intelligence, and enforcement.”
Cr Golle also addressed public demonstrations and national identity, arguing that expressions of patriotism should not be dismissed.
We must also stop labelling patriots who wave the Australian flag as racists. They are not. For many, this has been a call for the country to wake up. When these people are dismissed, ridiculed, or chastised, the warnings they raise are ignored. They said this could happen—and now it has.”
He concluded by warning voters about the long-term consequences of political choices, saying security agencies’ advice had gone unheeded.
If voters continue to support Greens and left-wing ideologies driven by emotion rather than pragmatism—uniting under so-called ‘bleeding heart’ causes—then this outcome is predictable. Senior intelligence agencies have been warning successive governments for years. That advice was ignored, and the consequences are now evident.”
Cr Golle’s comments come amid heightened national debate over public safety, extremism and the adequacy of Australia’s security and intelligence frameworks following the Bondi tragedy.
