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Australia Antisemitism Crisis: Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is facing growing pressure over his handling of rising antisemitism, following a deadly attack at Sydney’s Bondi Beach that left 15 people dead during a Hanukkah celebration.
Two ISIS-inspired gunmen carried out the attack, sparking widespread grief and anger within Australia’s Jewish community. In the days that followed, Albanese was criticised by Jewish leaders and opposition figures, who argue that more could and should have been done to prevent the violence.
After being booed at a vigil marking one week since the attack, the prime minister publicly apologised to the Jewish community and acknowledged the anger directed toward him. Critics have also accused Albanese of straining relations with Israel, particularly after his government moved earlier this year toward recognising the state of Palestine.
00:00Good afternoon. Eight days ago terrorists sought to divide our nation. They went to
00:11Bondi Beach to unleash mass murder against members of our Jewish community
00:16and to unleash the forces of hatred and anti-Semitism in our society. Last night
00:24the Jewish community returned to Bondi along with many thousands of other
00:28Australians to show that unity will triumph over division, love will triumph
00:34over hatred and importantly light will triumph over darkness. And that was the
00:41theme of the vigil, light over darkness. Emotions were raw and a lot of people in
00:46the community are hurting and angry and some of that anger was directed towards
00:52me and I understand that. As Prime Minister I feel the weight of
00:57responsibility for an atrocity that happened whilst I'm Prime Minister and
01:02I'm sorry for what the Jewish community and our nation as a whole has experienced.
01:07The government will work every day to protect Jewish Australians, to protect the
01:12fundamental right as Australians that they have to be proud of who they are, to
01:18practice their faith, to educate their children and to engage in Australian
01:23society in the fullest way possible. We're not going to let the ISIS-inspired
01:28terrorists win. We won't let them divide our society and we'll get through this
01:33together. And today my cabinet has met for the second time since this incident. As
01:45well, the National Security Committee met for the ninth time since this anti-Semitic terror attack and we
01:54went through the legislation and the legislative measures that the government is considering and
02:01that we will now further consult with the community on to make sure that there's as
02:09broad an agreement as possible. We'll also, after that process, be consulting across the
02:15Parliament as well to make sure that this is indeed a time where we have what is
02:22needed, which is urgency and unity, not division and delay. Urgency and unity is what we
02:30need. A summary of the legislative measures that will be considered. Creating an aggravated
02:38offence for hate preaching, advocating violence against protected groups. Increasing
02:44penalties for existing offences for hate speech, advocating violence or property
02:50destruction against protected groups. Making hate motivation a factor in
02:55sentencing for Commonwealth crimes with options to limit this to online threat and
03:03harassment crimes as announced to expand to all Commonwealth crimes if required. If required. We want to list
03:13prohibited hate organisations to make it a criminal offence to join, recruit or support an organisation
03:21listed by the Home Affairs Minister and the Attorney-General. Racial vilification and promoting racial supremacy offence.
03:30So we're considering drafting options there. We want the power to cancel visas where the Home Affairs Minister
03:40suspects a person has engaged in vilification, hate speech, promoting violence, displaying hate symbols or
03:47associating with a terrorist organisation or prohibited hate group. We're looking at changes to hate symbols offences as well.
03:56And also looking at changes to the Customs Act to ban importing extremist material or hate symbols.
04:04In addition to that we had a discussion about gun laws and today the State and Territory Senior Officials Group is meeting.
04:14We want to work through with State and Territory Governments. I know that NSW is considering legislation this week.
04:22But we want to work through right across the board those changes or proposed changes.
04:30Take questions. We'll stay over here. We'll just go.
04:32Prime Minister, thank you. Can I ask for your explanation on why you haven't committed to a National Royal Commission?
04:37Is it to do with timing that sometimes it'll take years? It could be close to the next election? Do you want something sooner?
04:42What's the reason not to?
04:44We want urgency and unity, not division and delay. We have commenced already the Richardson Review.
04:52Dennis Richardson met today with the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet.
04:57We want to make sure that Mr Richardson, who I don't think anyone can argue that there is anyone in this nation
05:06who is more qualified to oversee a review of our national security agencies and network and interrelationship between Commonwealth and State Government than Dennis Richardson.
05:20We wanted him as well to have input into his terms of reference and that is why that work began today.
05:29The New South Wales Government have announced a Royal Commission and the Federal Government will cooperate fully with that.
05:37But Prime Minister, people like the former Chief Justice, Jewish community leaders, the opposition, civil society leaders say that a National Royal Commission would give extra weight,
05:46especially considering this is the biggest loss of life in Australia, the worst terrorist attack in decades. Why are they wrong?
05:53Well, because the Richardson Review will enable action to take place. It will report, as I have said, before April.
06:01That review can feed into any Royal Commission that is established in New South Wales that the Federal Government will cooperate with.
06:09If you have a look at the terms of reference that were released by the Federal Opposition today,
06:20if anyone suggests that it is possible that that will report any time this term, let alone years and years to come.
06:31Every Royal Commission has asked for an extension of time.
06:36What we want to do is if there are any holes, any findings, any actions that are required, we want that to occur.
06:45Just picking up on that point, Prime Minister, not to take away from the probe into the security agencies,
06:51but there are calls from the community that there are other issues at play here, factors like anti-Semitism.
06:57What's your opposition to perhaps doing both, having that short, sharp review to get those answers on an operational level,
07:04and then a longer term review to look at these broader issues?
07:07Well, if you have a look at the broader issues that are proposed by the opposition,
07:12they are into education, the arts, culture, migration, the full suite of employment into the university sector,
07:24into home affairs, into the relationship between the Commonwealth and States and the nature of our Federation.
07:32I mean, there are, it goes A to Y in the subsets and then within that, and then within that, there are, in some cases, half a dozen subsets within it.
07:48It is a referendum into the entire way, not a referendum, a review or a Royal Commission, into the whole functioning of Australia.
08:00What we need to do, what we need to do is to work immediately.
08:06That is what the Richardson Review will do.
08:09And in addition to that, it will feed into the inquiry which has been announced in New South Wales.
08:16I had a discussion this morning with Premier Minns.
08:19They haven't finalised, of course, their terms of reference, and we'll continue to have those discussions,
08:30but we'll cooperate with that Royal Commission.
08:34The idea that we would have multiple Royal Commissions as well as a review running at the same time
08:40is going to simply delay action, what we've been determined to do and what the Cabinet has been doing today.
08:49We heard the Head of Director-General of ASIO as well as the AFP Commissioner,
08:56both report extensively on the investigations that are taking place,
09:01on what lessons have been learnt and where that is going to.
09:06The Richardson Review will do that and will feed into the New South Wales Royal Commission.
09:13Prime Minister, you've said that you're sorry for the Jewish community's experience.
09:18The Foreign Minister today also said she was sorry for how people experienced her actions
09:24when it came to our visit to Israel.
09:27I have no doubt that you're sorry for their experiences,
09:30but are you sorry for the mistakes your Government has made in handling the anti-Semitism crisis?
09:35We take responsibility for everything that occurs on our watch.
09:43We have taken a range of actions.
09:47We are taking further actions, some of which we've announced today.
09:51Prime Minister, obviously a significant selection of legislation approved by Cabinet today.
09:58Can MPs expect to be back here sometime in January to make that law,
10:02or will they have to wait until February?
10:04Well, we'll get the laws drafted as soon as possible,
10:08but we'll also make sure that we consult with the community firstly,
10:13and that is what these Ministers are doing.
10:16Prime Minister, you've called for urgency and unity.
10:20Are you confident that there's sufficient bipartisan support for both your firearms reforms
10:26and the legislative changes that you're announcing today?
10:30And what's your message to your political opponents?
10:32My message is that this is not a time for partisanship.
10:36This is a time for national unity.
10:38This is a time for the country to come together.
10:41That's what happens.
10:42That's what happens.
10:44That's what happens.
10:45When, after the Port Arthur massacre, that is what occurred.
10:50During COVID, myself as leader of the opposition, offered support.
10:55Even where we had amendments, we said we won't allow the perfect to be the enemy of the good.
10:59We will support what is required.
11:02This is a national interest test.
11:04And I think people will make their own judgement about whether partisanship is being evident at the moment.
11:13Prime Minister, you've, there's been members of your own caucus who have said a National Royal Commission is needed,
11:19that a New South Wales one just won't go far enough.
11:21Are they wrong?
11:22Is that not your view?
11:24Well, a Royal Commission can give consideration to whatever the terms of reference are,
11:30and the Commonwealth will cooperate with that Royal Commission.
11:34PM, you touched upon gun reform again.
11:37Just a couple more, yeah.
11:38In your opening preamble.
11:40Just wondering what you mean by that.
11:41And are you concerned about the split that's occurred in the New South Wales coalition over gun reform there
11:47as a precursor to what may occur nationally?
11:50Well, look, there, there was support for, to, to go back to Port Arthur and I was, I was in this place.
11:59One of the things that happened there was that not just John Howard took action as Prime Minister,
12:07and he deserves credit for that.
12:09So too does Tim Fisher, who was at the time the leader of the National Party,
12:14but so too does Kim Beasley, who offered that bipartisan support.
12:20The Parliament came together.
12:22That's what Australians wanted to see then, and it's what Australians want to see now.
12:27PM, to go to that question of bipartisanship.
12:30The coalition, some in the coalition have suggested that the Bondi terror attack was linked in some way
12:37to your government's recognition of a state of Palestine, of Penny Wong's decision not to visit some of the sites of the Hamas massacre of October 7.
12:47What's your response to those sort of claims?
12:49Look, I, you know, I, I have tried as you will have seen, and some have been critical of me avoiding partisan comments, uh, this work.
13:00I'll continue to do so.
13:02Uh, but it is very clear from the evidence which has been got, some of which now, uh, more of which is now into the public arena due to the police statement, uh, relating to the charges,
13:17that this was an ISIS-inspired attack, uh, that, uh, we know, uh, that, uh, ISIS is an ideology, a perversion of Islam that essentially doesn't agree with any recognition of nation states.
13:36It seeks a caliphate, seeks a caliphate.
13:38It seeks a caliphate.
13:39It is an extremist ideology that seeks a caliphate as its objective.
13:47Now, um, there is evidence there will be, continue to be produced, some of which, of course, is not yet public, and I don't want to interfere with those investigations.
13:59But it is very clear that this is anti-Semitic, it's clear that it is an extremist position
14:12of a perversion of Islam which shows its position through support for ISIS.
14:21These people weren't shy about their motivation and it is there for people to see and I think
14:29that people should look at those facts which are there.
14:35The Royal Commission would involve public hearings and won't be run out of your department.
14:39Are you running from scrutiny by not holding one?
14:42No.
14:44Prime Minister, Prime Minister, why is Robert French wrong?
14:51The Royal Commission did not be a part of the mission.
14:58It is a battle for the original people in this event.
15:03It is a battle for this mission in the world to see.
15:05It is a battle for this.
15:07It is a battle for us, when you are in the distance.
15:10It is a battle for this mission.
15:14You're fighting for it.
15:17A battle for this mission is a battle for the world.
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