2 months ago
6
“I will focus on the Australian national interest and the things that need to take place now after failures of governments in this country to tackle the scourge of antisemitism,” Ley said, when asked what she thought about Netanyahu’s criticism.
Loading
Ley said agencies were still investigating what motivated Sunday’s attack. “I am not going to reflect on it,” she said. But she said the government had been “warned, comprehensively and unequivocally, about the rising tide of antisemitism in this country”.
“I understand the frustration being expressed today by so many Jewish Australians. I know it’s really vital that we focus on the recommendations that Jillian Segal made in the report that was handed to the Prime Minister and his ministers months ago,” she said.
The federal government appointed Segal, a lawyer and businesswoman, to the new role of special envoy to combat antisemitism in July 2024. A year later, she made a suite of recommendations for Australia’s media, education institutions and cultural events, some of which were controversial.
Segal on Monday said antisemitism had existed for many years, but that pro-Palestinian demonstrations since October 2023 – including events at the Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge – had displayed terrorist flags and glorified extremist leaders at national landmarks.
“And now Bondi Beach, the third icon,” she said.
Loading
Albanese on Monday said his government would keep standing with Jewish Australians, condemn antisemitism, and “do whatever is necessary to stamp it out”.
“Antisemitism is a scourge,” he said. “We have taken strong action. We’ll continue to work with the community. This morning, I’ve already had a discussion with [Segal].
“Last night I spoke with Peter Wertheim and other leaders of the Jewish community. We’ll continue to work with them because this is a time where all Australians need to wrap our arms around Jewish Australians.”
Segal said she appreciated the non-Jewish community’s embrace after Sunday night’s attack. “But we also need people to understand what antisemitism is, where it comes from, what an ancient curse and virus it is, and how we must stamp it out through knowledge and through education,” she said.
“It’s not enough to just condemn it. We actually need to put in place a whole range of actions, which I articulated in my plan.”
Segal said government ministers and parts of the public sector had been working co-operatively with her since she delivered the plan. “So it’s not as if there has been no actions,” she said.
“But I think we need to accelerate the work. The government needs to come out and fully endorse the actions, so that there’s no doubt in any part of the public sector, and no doubt in the community that this is a full-throttle approach to fighting antisemitism.
Loading
“We can’t do this in a half-hearted fashion. This is for Australia. It’s not just for the Jewish community, because this is not the Australia we know, and it cannot be the Australia we accept.”
She said education in schools and different communities should be a priority.
Ley said Albanese should have responded to Segal’s report sooner. “It is incumbent on them to enact these recommendations, to give our Jewish-Australian community security and safety,” she said.
“I do stand ready to support the Prime Minister, but I strongly, strongly urge him to pick this report up and to act immediately to implement its recommendations.”
Former Liberal treasurer Josh Frydenberg said the government had hand-picked an antisemitism envoy, and she had given comprehensive advice months ago.
“Yet we haven’t seen a government response. That is symptomatic of the government’s failure, a lack of urgency, a lack of action, and the list goes on,” he said on Sky News.
“What is being done clearly not enough, and our leaders have failed in their fundamental and first duty to protect the safety of their citizens.”
More coverage on the Bondi terror attack:
- Updates: Sydney on high alert for further terrorist acts as multiple people killed
- Watch: Incredible footage shows the moment a hero bystander tackles one of the gunmen
- What we know so far: All the details of the mass shooting
- How the world reacted: Global leaders condemn ‘deeply distressing’ attack
Our Breaking News Alert will notify you of significant breaking news when it happens. Get it here.
