Anthony Albanese defends Labor's action against anti-Semitism after Melbourne synagogue fire
While quizzed by journalists in Hobart on Tuesday, the Prime Minister snapped back at a reporter who said Jewish community leaders had claimed the government's response was 'insufficient'.
The questions were in response to an alleged arson attack on the East Melbourne Synagogue on Friday night,
'Who is saying that?' asked in response, and said he had spoken to community leaders on Saturday.
'Every time there has been a request, it has been met, expeditiously,' he said.
'On Saturday, one of the reasons why this gentleman has been caught so quickly is because the CCTV that was in place there was as a direct result of Commonwealth Government funding.'
Mr Albanese also rejected calls for him to convene national cabinet in response to Friday's alleged arson attack.
'Every time an issue comes up, people say, let's have a national cabinet. Let's be clear. What people want is not a meeting. They want action,' Mr Albanese said.
Mr Albanese's comments comes after Executive Council of the Australian Jewry president Alex Ryvchin urged the government to adopt its 15-point plan to 'defeat anti-Semitism' in Australia.
The plan includes calls for anti-Semitism education in the national curriculum and urges Labor to declare a National Emergency and establish a Joint Counter-Terrorism Taskforce to 'fight against anti-Semitic terror before we have a major terror attack in this country'.
Speaking later on Tuesday following a visit to the East Melbourne Synagogue, Sussan Ley maintained the Albanese government was not doing enough to protect Jewish-Australians.
'What I hear from the community is there have been many task forces, there have been many talkfests, many conversations and many words. What they are really calling for is action,' she said, alongside shadow attorney-general Julian Leeser and finance spokesperson James Paterson.
Ms Ley also called for stronger state hate speech laws, which would prohibit people from chanting phrases like 'death to Israel,' and said calls for a national cabinet meeting to tackle anti-Semitism were a 'good suggestion'.
'There shouldn't be an ability for people to chant the words 'death' and I won't complete the phase, on the streets of Melbourne, and it just be accepted,' she said.
'It is not a protest, it is hate – pure hate and we need to have laws and levers and I would respectfully ask the Premier of Victoria to consider how she might instruct law enforcement in a way that allows a stronger intervention.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
West Australian
13 minutes ago
- West Australian
Australian news and politics live: Labor focused on cost-of-living relief after RBA decision to hold rates
Scroll down for the latest news and updates. US President Donald Trump has indicated a potential 200 per cent tariff on pharmaceuticals, which are among Australia's largest exports to the US. However, he said manufacturers would be given time to relocate production to America to avoid the tariff. The US president also mentioned that copper could face a 50 per cent tariff. Speaking to reporters before a cabinet meeting, Mr Trump said drug manufacturers would receive a grace period to move their operations to the US. 'We're going to give (drug manufacturers) about a year, a year and a half to come in, and after that, they're going to be tariffed,' he said. Read the full story here. As digital payments rise, Australia plans to mandate cash acceptance for essential goods and services starting in 2026. Currently, businesses can refuse cash, but that will soon change. It comes as the New Zealand First party introduced a bill requiring businesses to accept cash payments for purchases under NZ$500. Housing Minister Clare O'Neil says 'that's something that the Government is actually looking at at the moment. The Treasurer announced we're going to mandate that businesses across the country for essential goods and services do need to continue to accept cash,' while speaking to Sunrise. 'The Government absolutely recognises for lots of Australians it's important to them. We see a lot of elderly people who for them cash is their mainstay.' 'It's important we operate in an economy where people have choices. We're looking at the exact implementation of this at the moment. We think cash is actually still really important.' Housing Minister Clare O'Neil has acknowledged the disappointment felt by millions of Australians after the Reserve Bank's surprise decision to keep interest rates on hold at 3.85 per cent. 'Millions of Australians were hoping for a rate cut yesterday and as you say, that is very much what all of were predicting. But the RBA has chosen to keep rates on hold. What the RBA told us yesterday is this is about pace not direction. The RBA has already cut interest rates twice this year and kind of indicating that they want to keep moving on that but they're being very cautious,' she told Sunrise on Wednesday. Ms O'Neil stressed that the government's main focus remains easing cost-of-living pressures, highlighting new supports like increased childcare benefits, bill supplements, and wage rises for minimum wage earners. She added, 'It shows we're over the worst of the cost of living issues facing the country but we've still got a long way to go. The Government is firmly focused on that task.' 'I want my community and people around the country not to be struggling in the way they are, so of course I was hoping for an interest rate decrease from the Reserve Bank, but we are very respectful of the independence of this institution. There's a good reason we don't put politicians in charge of setting interest rates.'
Canberra Times
33 minutes ago
- Canberra Times
Taskforce promises action after anti-Semitic attacks
"There have been no task forces, no public statements of care for Palestinians as they watch their loved ones massacred by the genocidal state of Israel, or are targeted by anti-Palestinian racism here in Australia," Australian Palestine Advocacy Network president Nasser Mashni said on Tuesday.
The Age
an hour ago
- The Age
National News LIVE: Shock rate decision reaction; Medicinal cannabis crackdown; Bungle that caused mushroom murder havoc
Posts area Latest posts Latest posts 7.03am Shock reserve bank decision hits ASX By Emily Kowal and Shane Wright The Australian sharemarket is set to slide on opening following the Reserve Bank's surprise decision to hold interest rates steady, a move that caught many traders and economists off guard. Yesterday, the Reserve Bank shocked experts (and many homeowners) when it announced it would not cut rates. It was the first time in the bank's history that a vote on a rate decision was made public, revealing a split between those who wanted to stick at 3.85 per cent and those who believe more relief is needed due to easing inflation pressures and the threat posed by the Trump tariff agenda. Governor Michele Bullock said while the bank did not cut rates on Tuesday, further rate relief was likely, with the outcome of the June quarter inflation report – released at the end of the month – the key factor. 'The decision today … was about timing rather than direction,' she said. Treasurer Jim Chalmers said people would be disappointed that the bank had not cut rates. 'There will be millions of Australians around the country who were desperately hoping for more rate relief today, in addition to the two rate cuts that we've already seen over the last five months,' he said. 6.55am Why a major Sydney university has stripped students of their degrees By Christopher Harris To some news in Sydney. Students at the state's biggest university have been caught submitting fraudulent admissions documents, using fake medical certificates to get assignment extensions and increasingly misusing artificial intelligence, with more than 3000 breaches of its academic integrity policy recorded last year. There were more than 1000 cases where University of Sydney students were issued a fail grade for an entire subject after being caught cheating, while 13 graduates were stripped of their degree after the university discovered they had committed fraud, its annual report on misconduct said. 'The university has seen an increase of fraud, in particular, students submitting fraudulent medical certificates in support of their special considerations application, but also the increase of contract cheating in combination with the misuse of artificial intelligence,' it said. Read the full story by Christopher Harris here. 6.50am Over a million Australians have been prescribed medical cannabis. Now, regulators are cracking down By Angus Thomson Patients in emergency departments with cannabis-induced psychosis, consults lasting less than a minute and doctors who have issued more than 10,000 scripts in six months are among the cases that have prompted Australia's alarmed healthcare watchdog to announce clearer guidelines for the booming medicinal cannabis industry. The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) on Wednesday released guidance for doctors prescribing medicinal cannabis products amid what it described as poor prescribing practice and surging patient demand. 6.44am What's making news today By Emily Kowal Good morning and welcome to the national news blog. My name is Emily Kowal, and I will be helming our live coverage this morning. It's Wednesday, July 9. Let's jump into it.
