Bridget McKenzie (Victoria, National Party, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to add the National Party and another voice from the coalition to the stand against antisemitism. Those listening in the gallery and at home would be shocked to hear the contributions around this chamber. If you had been here and listened in for the last 16 months to the contributions, particularly from government senators and from the Greens, you would have heard a very different tone. They could not say the word 'antisemitism' without saying 'Islamophobia'. Somehow it's going to be politicisation of this debate for me to even say that and acknowledge that fact here in the Australian Senate, but that is absolutely what is happening.

I have said time and time again, as have people from the Australian Jewish community, that the Holocaust did not start with gas chambers or Jews in cattle trucks during the Second World War in Germany. It started with antisemitism becoming normalised on the streets of Berlin and other places throughout that country as they headed into World War II. That's what happened. It became normalised. Post October 7 that's exactly what has been happening here, whether it is Jewish kids being told by their gentile friends at school that they can't go to their birthday parties, because they are Jewish; or whether it is Jewish families being told, 'Do not go into the CBD of Melbourne or Sydney, because you and your family, with your yarmulkes on, are not safe in this country.' Do you think I'm making that up? That is exactly what has been happening for 16 months. The Prime Minister's own antisemitism envoy told him before Christmas that antisemitism in this country is organised, systemic and absolutely targeted.

Let's not be surprised or start gaslighting the Australian public that everybody has been on this train since 7 October 2023, because they haven't. There's been a tacit approval—a wink and a nudge. There have been motions moved on the floor of the UN. At every juncture, the opportunity to stand up for the Jewish Australian community, to stand with Israel, our ally, has not been clear. So, if anyone is surprised that people, evil people, in our community, feel that they can somehow get away with it, that's exactly how that's occurred.

Premier Minns, to his credit, has apologised for his lack of swift and strong action after what happened outside the opera house. He has apologised. Has our Prime Minister? No. When our Prime Minister was talking to his government MPs and senators in their first meeting back, following fire-bombings of synagogues and alleged terrorist acts throughout our country over the summer break, was this top of mind? Was it the first thing he talked about to his caucus? Was it in the top 3? No, he didn't even mention it. He didn't even mention it. He can't tell the country when he was briefed on this. He didn't even say it was an issue to his own government MPs. If the Australian Jewish community and those that care about this country and do not, like Senator Lambie, want to see it descend into the types of horrific behaviours that we're seeing, you'd think it would be in the top 5 from the Prime Minister and that this government would be making it very, very clear. But instead they wring their hands and say that antisemitism has no place in modern Australia. It's almost as if it was a talking point.

If you were serious it would be on the National Cabinet agenda, because this is a joint issue between state and federal governments. State police forces have to enact state laws, and this would be something you'd be wanting regular updates from your premiers on, in terms of how they were dealing with this. It is absolutely shameful that it's not on National Cabinet and it's embarrassing globally that this country, which has been welcoming migrants from all around the world with open arms since settlement, is now seen as somewhere unsafe. Post Second World War, we opened our arms to so many of the European Jewish community to provide a safe haven where they could practice their religion. Now, 80 years later, their businesses are being boycotted, and Jewish Australians in workplaces are being bullied and harassed. I'm not making it up. I'm not politicising this. This is simply reporting facts that are occurring in our community. Our kids are terrified to go to school, and there are now actual acts of violence because aggressive protests weekend after weekend after weekend went undealt with.

Stop gaslighting Australians that somehow you are now on board. If anyone's politicising it, I would say it is those who, over summer, had a real come-to-Jesus moment, because your rhetoric is the complete opposite of what it's been in this chamber and in the public sphere for the last 16 months. So, of course, on our side of this chamber we stand against antisemitism. We stand against it strongly, swiftly—from day one—and we would ask that the government step up to the plate, stop with the platitudes and actually give the Australian Jewish community something to hold onto. If you don't want to listen to us, at least listen to your own antisemitism envoy.