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

I can indicate that I have. I will take on notice whether or not the Prime Minister has had engagement since the weekend, but I would say to you it is the case that Australia's Jewish community are deeply distressed, as I said this morning. There is a history, obviously, to the persecution of the Jewish people, and the 7 October attacks by Hamas was a day on which more Jewish lives were lost in a single day than in any day since the Holocaust. That of itself is traumatising, and since then we have seen a rise in prejudice and hate. We've seen antisemitism on the rise. I would also say we have seen Islamophobia and other forms of prejudice also on the rise, hence my comments this morning about division. I think it is important to affirm in this place that we all stand against those forms of hatred. We all stand against antisemitism. I would also repeat the comments I made two days ago on Insiders: Australians have a right to feel and be safe. Australia's Jewish community has a right to feel and be safe. As the Prime Minister has said as well, the events in Caulfield were the wrong thing to do. I think other events have been intimidating. So I do understand why it is people feel distressed, and we need to affirm our support for that—