Sarah Henderson (Victoria, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Education) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you very much, Deputy Prime Minister—I mean, Deputy President. I've just promoted you! As I say, the condemnation that we have seen from the Prime Minister of Israel and Israel's Deputy Foreign Minister is a shocking reflection on this weak Albanese Labor government. What are the consequences? The consequences are horrific. Over recent months, we've seen a synagogue firebombed, the former home of a Jewish leader vandalised, synagogues sprayed with hateful symbols, and even a Jewish childcare centre attacked in the middle of the night.

Jewish Australians are frightened. Jewish Australians are living in fear. Jewish Australians' homes are being targeted with horrific antisemitic graffiti. High-profile Jewish Australians are waking up in the morning and seeing horrific slurs against Jewish Australians on their fences. It is shameful that this government has been so weak. This government could not even support the coalition's senators' bill here in the Senate or Mr Leeser's private member's bill to legislate a judicial inquiry into campus antisemitism.

The hate and incitement on university campuses is out of control, and we saw that again just last week at Queensland University of Technology, again fuelled by Labor's weak leadership. The education minister, Mr Clare, has failed to call for the encampments to be shut down, failed to condemn extremists like members of Hizb ut-Tahrir protesting on university campuses and failed to take this seriously. The government have failed to listen to their own appointed antisemitism envoy, Jillian Segal, who backed the coalition's call for a judicial inquiry along with every leading Jewish organisation, and the Zionist Federation of Australia have again backed this in.

This is, as I say, intolerable. Senator Paterson also raised very important questions about what the Prime Minister knew and when he was first briefed on reports about the discovery of the caravan in Dural. It is shocking that we know so little about this and that Australians were kept in the dark. Australians deserve answers on the handling of what could have been one of the most catastrophic acts of terror seen in Australia. A week on from the breaking of this report, we still remain none the wiser, and that is a disgrace.