January 23, 2025
PETER STEFANOVIC: State police in Australia have been caught in the hop about details provided by the AFP boss, suggesting a recent rise in antisemitic attacks could have been driven by foreign actors paying off local criminals with cryptocurrency. Joining us live is the shadow Home Affairs Minister, James Paterson. James, I know you've spoken about this a few times. Good morning, by the way. Are you any clearer when it comes to who or what is being done from overseas here?
JAMES PATERSON: Good morning, Pete. No, look, it is not clear at all what the Albanese government is actually alleging on this question at all at this point. It's clear that some people may being paid to engage in these firebombing attacks on the Jewish community. It is not clear where some of those payments are coming from. And the Albanese government has not been clear about what they knew about this, when they knew about it, or what action they are taking. And I think that it's very clear that when it comes to antisemitism and the crisis of domestic terrorism in our country, they have no plan to get on top of this. We had a national cabinet after 15 months of delay and dragging his feet. And what came out of the national cabinet was a new database. Well, I'm not sure how a new database is going to solve the problem, whether it's organised by foreign actors or whether it is an entirely home-grown phenomenon.
STEFANOVIC: We just saw you appear in Cam Reddin's piece about Sue Lines and the fact that she was going to Poland for the Auschwitz commemoration, the anniversary that's coming up. Is it right that Penny Wong is going?
PATERSON: Well, I can tell you that the Australian Jewish community doesn't think that it's much of an improvement to have gone from Sue Lines, one of the most anti-Israel MPs in the parliament, to Senator Wong, another of the most anti-Israel MPs in the parliament. They believe she has led the global vilification campaign against the state of Israel over the last 15 months as they have been trying to defend themselves from a listed terrorist organisation. And when Penny Wong visited Israel last year, she didn't even have the decency to go and visit the site of the Nova music festival or the kibbutz where an Australian citizen was murdered and where so many Israelis were murdered. And so to send her as the person to provide Australia's condolences and representation on the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, I think, is really going to fall flat with the Jewish community here in Australia.
STEFANOVIC: I mentioned on the show yesterday I went to the last one, the 70th, ten years ago. Josh Frydenberg was the Government's representative there. Who do you think should be going? Who's a suitable replacement?
PATERSON: Here's the problem, Pete. I mean, anyone in the Albanese government would be a difficult choice to send. You could hardly send the Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke or the Education Minister Jason Clare, or many of the other MPs who participated in this vilification of the Jewish state over the last 15 months. Perhaps they should send an Opposition MP to represent Australia who could actually faithfully do so, frankly.
STEFANOVIC: Speaking of the government, just a moment ago, I spoke to the Treasurer, Jim Chalmers, about your recent tax break pitch for small businesses, James, and he poses some questions that I'd like to refer to you about. Namely, can this be rorted?
PATERSON: Well, full points for Jim Chalmers for effort for claiming that Australians are better off under his government and that tax cuts have somehow compensated them. But I think you and I both know that the bracket creep that has gone from Australians' pay packets on this government's watch is far worse than the little bit of tax that they have returned to them. In fact, taxes are up 22% on this government's watch. That doesn't even start to account for increased mortgages or rent or groceries or other cost of living pressures. What we're doing is proposing a shot in the arm for the hospitality industry because they desperately need it. After the last three years, insolvencies have been out of control on this government's watch. 27,000 in just the last two and a half years, many of them in that sector. And if there isn't a change of government to get this country back on track, I feel we're going to see many more business failures. But this is a targeted policy that will help, which will help with that.
STEFANOVIC: I know that booze won't be included in it, and I'm sort of not sure how you get around that when it comes to paying a bill. But back to that question, can it be rorted?
PATERSON: Well, that's a perfectly standard element of the tax system, Pete. It's routine. In fact, when you're travelling on business expenses, for example, that booze is not included in compensation. And you know, you have to get a receipt for your food. And if you want to buy alcohol, you have to pay that out of your own pocket. The ATO will enforce this like they do with all elements of integrity in our tax system, and it's an utterly standard feature of any tax policy.
STEFANOVIC: Can it be rorted?
PATERSON: Well, any aspect of the tax system, there are people who might try their luck, but they would be very unwise to, because the Australian Taxation Office has very strong powers of audit. They go through high-risk tax returnees every year, and they catch many of them. So I wouldn't advise anyone to try.
STEFANOVIC: What's the cost of it, James? And is the cost better off spent elsewhere?
PATERSON: We'll be announcing the costs in the usual way in our pre-election costing documents. That's perfectly standard for an Opposition when it comes to policy announcements, and we're confident that this is a very targeted and frankly modest spend that's going to have a huge bang for the buck for the hospitality industry, which is why it's been so warmly welcomed by restaurants, cafes, pubs and others who are really struggling at the moment.
STEFANOVIC: James Paterson, we'll leave it there. Appreciate it, though. Chat again soon.
PATERSON: Thanks, Pete.
ENDS