Josh Burns (Macnamara, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I second the motion. I thank the number for Wentworth for bringing forward the motion. I know that we both feel a deep sense of responsibility for the two largest Jewish communities of any electorate in this country, and I thank her for bringing this to the House.

Last year, when I saw my office with horns on top of it, I thought, 'Surely, this is as bad as it can get.' My staff came to work with antisemitic graffiti all of my office and are completely shattered. But the truth is that the last six months have been like no other I've experienced in this country. My grandparents came to this country looking for a safe haven for the Jewish people, and over the last six months we've seen cars set alight, we've seen synagogues burnt down, we've seen Jewish homes and businesses marked and we have seen childcare centres being burnt down—our littlest Australians. Why? What is the common thread? They are all targeted towards the Australian Jewish community. But we must fix this and we must work together until Australia as we know it and as we grew up in is restored.

The first step is to listen to the Jewish people of Australia. They hold the collective memory of microagression, of hate, of words and acts of vilification and discrimination, and they understand the history of antisemitism. We cannot allow history to fester and get even more out of control.

Some of the tropes that we have seen in this country are ones we've seen before. Some people target the Jewish community because of some sort of response to what's happening in the Middle East, some because they believe in the myths of Jewish power and control, and some just under the false banner of racial supremacy. None of these tropes are new, but the common thread is conspiracy, dehumanisation and hatred, all of which have existed throughout history. We've been kicked out of our homes before. Our homes have been targeted. But today we say, 'Not here. Not in Australia.'

We cannot let antisemitism become a partisan issue. It has never existed on a political spectrum. There are things that I disagree with the Liberal Party about, but not this. I will work with anyone, and I have stood with anyone in the past, in order to ensure that we present a united voice on this, that we confront this together and that we restore Australia together, and I would urge all members of the House to join us in coming together to send the clearest of messages that we will not fight, because the fight is not in here; it is for the Jewish people of Australia.

This is personal. I want this to end. I want this all to end. I dread turning on my phone and looking at the news and seeing another attack. We want this to be over, so we need to commit ourselves and take full responsibility for taking this on and doing whatever is in our power to combat it. Now, we have increased security, we have banned Nazi salutes, we've criminalised doxxing and we've appointed a special envoy to combat antisemitism. Over the summer, I spent countless hours holding our university vice-chancellors to account to ensure that students who return to university have a safe place to go from day one. But we need to do more. We are going to work together this week to create new laws to outlaw hate and incitement. We need to protect people from that.

Antisemitism is a wicked problem. It has existed for thousands of years and it has always been there in Australia, but it has lain dormant. It has always been in the corners of our society. Well, it is not anymore. It is up to each and every member of this House to stand firmly and strongly against it and to do whatever is in our power to ensure that Australia is a safe place—because it is not just the Jewish people who are watching; it is all of Australia. Every single Australian demands and deserves the right to be safe, to be able to live in their homes without fear and without worrying about intimidation, harassment or violence, especially for something as simple as who they are. I'm a proud Jewish Australian and I will continue to stand against antisemitism in all of its forms.

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