Albanese warns opponents against fuelling extremism

2 weeks ago 3

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has warned his political opponents against fuelling radicalism and threats to politicians after the weekend’s anti-immigration rallies, the arrests of neo-Nazis and growing concern around far-right conspiracists.

Parliament was again engulfed in debate over extremism on a day when Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan was confronted by a prominent neo-Nazi, an incident Albanese labelled “horrific”.

The prime minister, pictured on Tuesday, was questioned about a hostile regional reception he received last week.

The prime minister was probed in question time about the hostile treatment he received at a summit last week in the Victorian town of Ballarat.

The prime minister, under pressure over the building of unpopular green energy projects in regional areas, was repeatedly heckled by a crowd that included a woman with a noose around her neck. Outside the event, Nationals senators Bridget McKenzie and Anne Webster arrived in tractors that later chased the prime minister’s motorcade out of the event.

Webster asked Albanese why he was “chased out of Ballarat by a convoy of tractors”, prompting him to question if the opposition was making it harder for authorities to protect MPs at a time when threats to politicians were on the rise.

In comments to this masthead, Albanese sent a direct warning to politicians not to goad extremists for cheap points.

“Political leaders should not encourage dangerous acts or intimidation in order to advance their perceived political interests,” he said.

“Political engagement in our democracy should be respectful. That is why I engaged directly with attendees at the Ballarat forum and at dinner the night before and informally listened to community members that morning.”

In question time, Albanese said: “At a time when security is an issue, making those sorts of comments, I ask them to reflect … seriously, given what’s occurred with the Victorian premier today … the AFP have enough of a job without it being added to.”

McKenzie responded to Albanese’s comments, applauding him for “fronting up” to difficult regional forums but disputing the suggestion that she and her colleagues were whipping up anger.

“There’s a difference between inciting people for your own political gain and reflecting people’s frustration and deep anxiety and concern about a situation [the green energy rollout] that’s been imposed on them. This was a complete grassroots movement.”

“Of course, we shouldn’t be saying to these people to be vigilantes, but we also have a responsibility to be faithful to them.”

Tensions over migration and the building of solar and wind farms in regional towns have been at the forefront of debate in Canberra this week after weekend demonstrations attended by a handful of MPs, including Pauline Hanson and Bob Katter. The nation’s top spy, Mike Burgess, has warned for two years that the actions and words of politicians risked fuelling political violence following the October 7 Hamas attacks on Israel. Authorities’ concerns during that time have been compounded by people waving Hamas and Hezbollah insignia at pro-Palestine rallies.

Opposition Leader Sussan Ley condemned the protests “hijacked by violent neo-Nazis spouting hate and racism”, while several Labor ministers have decried the marches as racist.

Albanese, striking a more measured tone, has attempted to condemn radical elements while not demonising all those who raised concerns about housing and migration, warning his MPs that casting all protesters as extremists would only “push them further down that rabbit hole”.

In the same caucus meeting, Labor MPs spent a significant chunk of time talking about the rise of far-right nationalism and tensions stemming from the war in Gaza, including a question from Labor MP Ed Husic on whether Australians with Israeli heritage who fight for Israel should be charged with crimes. Albanese was unaware of prominent neo-Nazi Thomas Sewell crashing Allan’s press conference until Labor MP Josh Burns raised it, prompting shock from the prime minister.

Albanese was asked by his backbench about neo-Nazis using immigration as a recruitment tool on the same day his government released a long-delayed migration figure that has been hotly debated after a rise in post-COVID migration. The government moved to counter community anxiety by revealing the permanent migrant intake for this year would remain unchanged at 185,000.

The protesters in Ballarat last week were animated in part by a contentious transmission line proposal that runs through western Victoria. Albanese admitted last week that governments had not done well enough to explain to regional voters the need to build renewable projects, as Labor struggles to build sufficient green energy projects to meet its climate targets.

Josh Roose, an expert in terrorism and violent extremism at Deakin University, said the rallies showed authorities need to take the threat of the far-right more seriously.

This includes charging those who engage in violence and harassment with offences that reflect the ideological nature of their activities, rather than settling with prosecuting them with common charges such as assault, he said.

“At the very least, what we saw over the weekend should be treated as a hate crime,” he said.

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