RADIO INTERVIEW - ABC SYDNEY MORNINGS WITH EMMA CROWE
RADIO INTERVIEW
ABC SYDNEY MORNINGS
WEDNESDAY, 11 DECEMBER 2024
SUBJECTS: Antisemitism and Solidarity with Religious Communities.
EMMA CROWE: Police are looking for two people suspected of torching one car and spraying anti-Israel graffiti on another, as well as the walls of two houses in Magney Street in Woollahra. Premier Minns has strongly condemned the attack, saying it's the antithesis of what it means to be Australian. Well, joining me on 702 Mornings right now is the Federal Home Affairs Minister, Tony Burke, who has been a Labor MP for Watson in Sydney's south west for 20 years. Good morning, Tony.
MINISTER TONY BURKE: Good morning.
EMMA CROWE: Thanks so much for joining us today. What's your message to the communities across Sydney this morning as Home Affairs Minister?
MINISTER TONY BURKE: What happened overnight is unacceptable. It's the opposite of what this country's about and the particular targeting of the Jewish community. Every member of the Jewish community in Australia needs to know that every Australian, including the governments of Australia, are standing with them against this attack. At the moment, the operation is being led by the NSW Police. The government this week announced Operation Avalite, which is a joint operation that should deal with antisemitism. And you know, by every definition, what we're looking at overnight is an example of hatred that has no place in Australia.
EMMA CROWE: Premier Minns didn't hesitate on breakfast when Chris Taylor asked if we had reached the height of antisemitism, would you agree?
MINISTER TONY BURKE: Oh, it's beyond what should, where people ever thought it would get to. I was yesterday afternoon in Melbourne meeting with the leadership of the Adass Synagogue. Wonderful people. And you just see side by side the hatred of, the destruction of a place of worship with the resilience and decency of members of Melbourne's Jewish community. Yeah, anybody who thinks that somehow they're being relevant to a conflict on the other side of the world by showing hatred to Australians is just engaging in something that is evil. Antisemitism is a form of evil that should be stamped out and it's something that the government just has the strongest view against.
EMMA CROWE: State Independent MP Kelly Sloan told Chris Taylor earlier, we need a more concrete action from Federal Government. What kind of action can you offer?
MINISTER TONY BURKE: Look, the concrete actions have been coming thick and fast, I have to say. I've been in touch this morning with the Special Envoy on Antisemitism, Jillian Segal, who's there with a dedicated independent role dealing with government on this. We have passed legislation this year making it unlawful, like illegal, a criminal offence, to be using Nazi symbols, to be using Nazi salutes, a whole lot of hate symbols that have not previously been specifically made illegal, now are. We passed the laws against doxxing. We passed fresh terror laws and we've also - we also have laws before the Parliament right now on criminal offences for hate speech and vilification. So, the actions are coming thick and fast. What we need to make sure is that the community knows that this is a moment for unity and that there is absolutely no appetite and no tolerance at any level of government, or should I say throughout the Australian community for the thuggish criminal acts that we've seen overnight.
EMMA CROWE: Do you think the government has been striking the right balance here in how it responds? I mean, the Prime Minister was heckled when he finally arrived at the Ripponlea Synagogue. Was the criticism of him turning up too late a fair one? It was five days after the fire.
MINISTER TONY BURKE: Look, that didn't come from the leadership of the community. And I met with the leadership of the community a few hours later. So, I, but can I just - in the way that you framed that, this is not an issue for balance. This is an issue for - it's not about trying to get a balance right. It is resolute objection and intolerance of antisemitism completely. There's nothing about a balance here. There is no level of antisemitism that is acceptable. There is no level of hate crime that is acceptable.
EMMA CROWE: Yeah. I accept what you're saying. I suppose that criticism from other quarters is saying the government has not done enough up until now.
MINISTER TONY BURKE: Yeah. And as I say, and I won't go through the list again. But there's been a series of very specific actions, including new criminal offences that the government's been taking because this is completely unacceptable.
EMMA CROWE: Tony Burke is here. He's the Federal Minister for Home Affairs, Labor MP for Watson for 20 years. Watson includes the areas of Greenacre, Lakemba and Roselands. And Minister, we also heard this morning from the Chief Rabbi at a Great Synagogue, Dr. Benjamin Elton. He spoke with Chris Taylor on Breakfast. He described how the Jewish community in Sydney is feeling at the moment. He'd like to see more action from government and from police. Let's have a listen.
[excerpt]
DR. BENJAMIN ELTON: As you can imagine, people are feeling very beleaguered. They're feeling under attack, very nervous and shock. They don't know what they're going to wake up to or what they might find is going on in their neighbourhood in the middle of the night. It gets to the point where this is real terror. Terrorism is called such because it inspires terrorism in its targets. And the Jewish community of Sydney and Australia is being terrorised and the governments of the states and the Federal Government and their law enforcement officials have to do something about it.
[excerpt ends]
EMMA CROWE: Dr. Benjamin Elton, the Chief Rabbi at the Great Synagogue, speaking there on Breakfast this morning, Tony Burke, Is this an act of terrorism? The phrase the PM used regarding the Ripponlea Synagogue attack, should it be declared one?
MINISTER TONY BURKE: It's with the NSW Police right now. You know, you look at what you've seen in the antisemitic slogan and the, you know, the official declarations are made by our security agencies, but the different elements that you would see in a terrorist attack, you can see what's there. I've certainly had the counterterrorism people from my Department and instructed them this morning to be engaging directly with the NSW Police, which they're doing. The formal declarations of issues like that are things that are done by our security agencies, not directly by Ministers.
EMMA CROWE: If you're just tuning in, Tony Burke is here, the Federal Minister for Home affairs. And Sydney's woken up to what appears to be antisemitic attacks in our city's east with a car set on fire and anti-Israel graffiti sprayed on another car, as well as the walls of two houses in Magney Street in Woollahra. Just talking about this, I mean, we've, you know, the medico Ziad Basyouny announced in August as Independent Candidate for Burke in the coming Federal Election. Your electorate includes suburbs like Lakemba, Greenacre, well known for a high proportion of Muslim Sydneysiders. What's the feedback you're getting when you're in your electorate about the ongoing tensions surrounding the current situation in the Middle East?
MINISTER TONY BURKE: I've been, I must say, the statements that have been coming out over recent days, particularly since the firebombing of the Adass Synagogue in Melbourne, have been real shows of solidarity that I've been really proud of the community for. You look at the statements that have come from the Imams Council, from the Grand Mufti, that have come from the Lebanese Muslim Association. There has been a real solidarity at this moment with the Jewish community that the major groups have, have all shown. And I think that just speaks volumes for the fact that people will have different views on a conflict overseas, but people will have a consistent view that they do not want hatred brought here and they do not want violent actions to then flow from that sort of hatred.
My part of Sydney fought very hard when there were attempts to weaken our hate speech laws over the previous decade. And we had Muslim leaders, Jewish leaders, marching together through the streets of one of the suburbs you just named, through the streets of Lakemba. Those big rallies were held twice. And ultimately, the changes to the law, the weakening of our hate speech laws, didn't happen. So, some people at moments like this want to sort of position it. And I'm not saying you're doing it, you're right to put the question to me. But some people want to position this as though there is somehow an innate conflict between Jewish Australians and Muslim Australians because of what's happening on the other side of the world. People will have very different views about that conflict. That does not change the fact that there is a real sense of solidarity and unity, that the hatred and violence we've seen has no place here whatsoever.
EMMA CROWE: Yeah, I think the Premier was saying very similar things this morning when he spoke with Chris Taylor on Breakfast, that the vast majority of people, overwhelming majority of people in this city and in Australia don't want any of this here in our city.
MINISTER TONY BURKE: Yeah, that's right.
EMMA CROWE: I should point out that police are investigating what happened in Woollahra this morning. We don't yet know who is responsible. I mean, when we do find out what should happen to those people, Tony Burke?
MINISTER TONY BURKE: My view on any hate crime has always been consistent, which is the legal authorities gather the evidence and I hope they throw the book at whoever's responsible. Simple as that.
EMMA CROWE: Really appreciate your time this morning.
ENDS