December 12, 2024
PETER STEFANOVIC: The Albanese government is again set to anger Israel this morning as it prepares to vote on two United Nations General Assembly resolutions in New York this morning. There are speeches that are still taking place, the vote not quite yet, but we'll let you know when it does. In the meantime, joining us is the shadow Home Affairs Minister, James Paterson. James, thanks for your time this morning. So, what are your thoughts ahead of these twin votes this morning?
JAMES PATERSON: Well, good morning, Pete. The Prime Minister was asked about this yesterday and we only knew this was coming because the Prime Minister was secretly caught, recorded at an event boasting that the people who had been unhappy with his voting record at the United Nations, presumably including the Australian Jewish community, we're going to be really unhappy on Thursday. But when he was asked about this, he pretended not to know what the reporters were talking about. He said there were lots of votes coming up at the United Nations. I mean, the Prime Minister was gaslighting the Australian Jewish community while standing at the Sydney Jewish Museum supposedly being concerned about anti-Semitism. One of the reasons why this is important is not just because our foreign policy is important, not just because standing with our allies and friends like the United States is important, but because we know that anti-Semites in Australia conflate Israel with Jews. We had another powerful demonstration of that this week in Sydney where cars in an area populated by the Jewish community were set on fire and graffiti targeted Israel. They don't draw any distinction between Israel and Jews. So when the Australian government abandons or even worse, vilifies Israel, anti-Semites take encouragement from that and that gives them license and that's why it's a serious problem.
STEFANOVIC: So we'll get to Albanese's speech yesterday, or his response to that just a moment. But of these two resolutions that are up today, one seeks a permanent ceasefire and the release of all hostages. Do you have any issue with that?
PATERSON: Well, I think the issue with that is that there can be no peace with Hamas. Hamas is a terrorist organisation. It has vowed the destruction of Israel. It attempted to carry that out on the 7th October. If it is allowed to remain in Gaza, if it is to remain intact militarily, which is what an unconditional and immediate cease fire would do, then it will take over Gaza again. It will subject the people of Gaza to further suffering and pain, and it will launch attacks on Israel again. So I think we are in the wrong position on that issue.
STEFANOVIC: Okay. What about the second point? So this points to support for UNRWA, which as we've spoken about before, has a very checkered past and links to Hamas.
PATERSON: Exactly right. I mean, UNRWA has admitted themselves they employed multiple terrorists who were involved in the 7th October atrocities, the worst loss of Jewish life on a single day since the end of the Holocaust. They also employed Hezbollah terrorists who were involved in coordinating attacks in Israel, in the north. This is an unreformable and an unreformed organisation. It is the only refugee population in the world that is serviced by a single United Nations agency, UNRWA, rather than the UNHCR, which services all other refugee populations around the world and it is itself an obstacle to peace. Now we warned the government that Australian taxpayers money should not be going to an organisation that potentially employed terrorists. Even after Penny Wong knew that UNRWA was employing terrorists, she increased funding for UNRWA and that means Australian taxpayers money is potentially complicit in the funding and employing of terrorists, and no Australian should be comfortable with that.
STEFANOVIC: Okay. Back to the Prime Minister now. He did appear moved when he was giving those speeches or giving those comments yesterday following yet another anti-Semitic attack in Sydney. What are your thoughts on that and perhaps what else could be done? Because he certainly moved a lot faster on this one that he had previous attempts.
PATERSON: Well, it's too little too late, Pete. I mean, where was that emotion, where was that concern, where was that action 14 months ago when we had people chanting at the Sydney Opera House about Jews? Why did it take not one, not two, not three, but four fire bombings of the Jewish community for the Prime Minister to realise maybe we have a problem here? And why are still his measures half hearted? I mean, he said he has established a task force of the AFP. Actually, it's only a special operation. It's a routine thing for the AFP to do that. What we want is a permanent standing taskforce of all our national security, intelligence and law enforcement agencies at the federal level, backed by serious funding and powers and the ability to go back and review all the historical complaints over the last 14 months. And critically, the decisions not to proceed to prosecutions over the last 14 months because people have broken the law in this country and there've been no consequences. So no wonder they are emboldened.
STEFANOVIC: And despite those words yesterday, he didn't rule out preference deals with the Greens.
PATERSON: Well, he can't rule that out because we know that's exactly what the Labor Party is going to do. And the Greens cannot win a single federal seat in Australia without the preferences of the Labor Party. Now I hope Labor stands up and does the responsible thing in the national interest and puts the Greens last. But even if they can't bring themselves to that, I hope they can at least do so in seats like Macnamara in Melbourne, home to the largest Jewish community in any single seat in Victoria. Because there's a real risk there that if Labor and Josh Burns preferences the Greens, that the Greens could win that seat and you could have an anti-Semitic party representing the Jewish community and that is a travesty and the Prime Minister should at least be able to rule that out.
STEFANOVIC: All right. Good to see you, James.
ENDS
