Julian Leeser (Berowra, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Under this Prime Minister, thugs were allowed to chant antisemitic hate speech on the steps of the Sydney Opera House. The Prime Minister refused for months to establish an AFP taskforce or convene national cabinet, and Jewish places of worship, schools, businesses and homes have been relentlessly threatened and vandalised. The Prime Minister promised Australians that social cohesion was his priority. Prime Minister, with antisemitism getting worse, not better, what has our country become under your government?

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for his question. I've been opposed to racism in all its forms my entire life, including antisemitism. Indeed, the morning after the terrorist attack on 7 October, I was on Insiders condemning it unequivocally. The next morning on the Today Show, I said this in response to the demonstration that took place Lakemba that night:

Well, there's nothing to celebrate by the murder of innocent civilians, going about their day. Some of those who've been captured were young people attending a rave, enjoying life, enjoying each other's company.

Word got out about the Opera House rally that was due. I spoke before the rally on 2GB. 'So, you, as the Prime Minister believe that this march should not go ahead?' I was asked. I said:

I absolutely believe it should not.

I went on to say that there was nothing to be achieved 'apart from creating a climate that is not conducive to peace'.

The day after those rallies, I went on to say on Sky News—2GB and Sky News, they should be familiar:

We need to lower the temperature. I don't want to see conflict here in Australia and I don't want to see the sorts of scenes that I saw last night …

And I said:

… one of the reasons why I believe it was just inappropriate for it to go ahead last night.

I did a press conference in Port Lincoln in South Australia on that day, 10 October. I said there, again:

I think that there's nothing to celebrate here.

I went on to speak about the rallies and said:

But the actions that we saw on the weekend need to be unequivocally condemned.

I did that consistently, at every single opportunity—every opportunity. I've continued to do that.

I note the comments of those who, for reasons beyond my comprehension, have argued that that was not the case. It's up to them to explain why that is not the case, why they suggest that and why, rather than look for the absolute maximum of unity, some have sought a different road.

In this parliament, we carried a resolution as well, unequivocally. And there were some fine speeches that day.

Antisemitism is a scourge. It's opposed by anyone who is decent. What we saw in the videos yesterday was abhorrent. I note that this morning I have spoken with Premier Minns. He spoke to me about the health minister, who has travelled with the Jewish Board of Deputies to Bankstown hospital this morning to make it very clear—very clear—that the actions of these two reprehensible people in showing their hatred for people because they are Jewish, their antisemitism, there for all to see, without any shame or any embarrassment, is overwhelmingly not why people go into the health professions.

What I have sought and will continue to seek—and I ask my friend here to join with me on it, because we have been on unity tickets before—is to join, at every single opportunity, to look for social cohesion and to look to bring people together, rather than any suggestion of anything other than total condemnation of antisemitism. It's precisely what every person in my government has done—not just since October 7, but our entire political lives. That is one of the reasons why people join the Labor Party: because they believe in cohesiveness in our society; because they believe in inclusion; because they believe in diversity; because they believe in respect for people, regardless of their faith or their origins.