Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

Can I first say that I thought the events that we saw in Caulfield were utterly unacceptable, and they must not be repeated. I was also concerned about some of the footage of the events in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney that you reference. In relation to what occurred in Caulfield, we know—and you have seen that I've said this publicly, Senator—that having a protest near a synagogue was not the right thing to do. It shouldn't be repeated, and the organisers have apologised, which is the right thing to do.

I again want to reaffirm publicly—you asked what we've done, and I will repeat what I've said publicly, including yesterday—that the Jewish community in this country has a right to feel safe and to be safe. All Australians have a right to feel safe and to be safe. And no-one in this country should be fearful because of who they are or the faith they practise. We have been very clear, including in this chamber, that there is no place for hateful prejudice in our society, that there is no place for anti-Semitism, that there is no place for racism and that there is no place for Islamophobia. So, I understand how those events have been extremely difficult for members of the Jewish community. I understand how distressing the current conflict is for a lot of Australians, and I reiterate what I said yesterday: let us not let distress turn to division. (Time expired)