November 28, 2024
Liberal Senator James Paterson received a standing ovation from the Executive Council of Australian Jewry annual conference in Melbourne on Sunday after a speech in which he pledged a Coalition government would use the “great moral power and authority in the office of Prime Minister” to mobilise against antisemitism.
“No Australian will be in any doubt where the Prime Minister stands on antisemitism if Peter Dutton occupies that office,” he said, responding to widespread criticism that Anthony Albanese has not spoken out strongly enough.
The Victorian senator said a Dutton government would enforce laws and add new ones to crack down on doxxing and deport visa holders offering even “rhetorical” support for organisations with ties to terrorism.
Immigration restrictions would be toughened, he said. “No-one will be brought into our country from a war zone controlled by a terrorist organisation without proper checks.”
And condemning the government’s denial of a visa to Israeli politician Ayelet Shaked, he added, “We will not – and I can’t believe I need to say this – ban former Israeli ministers from centrist governments from visiting Australia.”
“No hate preacher or extremist organisation will be given taxpayers’ money for social cohesion,” he said, after the Albanese government awarded a $1.65 million grant to the Lebanese Muslim Association — which has ties to Hizb ut-Tahrir – to stage an “outrage” rally on the first anniversary of the 7/10 pogrom.
“We will not allow antisemitism to fester on campus unchecked … We will make clear we expect accurate and impartial reporting from our publicly funded broadcasters.
“We will do this not only for the Jewish community, but for our country. Because a country that is not safe for Jews is not safe for anyone,” said Paterson. “You deserve better, and Australians expect better.”
Addressing the conference, Macnamara Labor MP Josh Burns, who will chair a Parliamentary probe into antisemitism at universities, admitted that “there is real frustration” with his government in the Jewish community.
But the PM’s response to anti-Israel vandalism in Sydney’s Woollahra “was pretty timely”, he added.
Antisemitism envoy Jillian Segal said she hopes reforms adopted by universities after the Senate inquiry would prevent a repetition of encampments.
Looking ahead, she said a compromise on the IHRA antisemitism definition would stand a better chance of being adopted by universities than the full IHRA definition, for which “there’s a closed door”.
Australasian Union of Jewish Students president Noah Loven described the strong advocacy role the organisation has embraced since 7/10, adding that membership has tripled.
