December 9, 2024
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KIERAN GILBERT: That is where we leave that news conference. Confirmation that it is being treated as a terrorist attack. The attack on a synagogue in Ripponlea late last week only to get immediate reaction with the shadow Home Affairs Minister, James Paterson. Senator Paterson. Do you welcome the fact that this is finally being called and labelled what it was?
JAMES PATERSON: Kieran thanks for having me. Yes, it is welcome that they've made progress with the investigation, that they have identified three suspects and that they have agreed this is likely to be a terrorist attack. I hope that ends the hand wringing that we've had from some political figures over the last few days about how we could possibly identify what the community understood innately and immediately was an act of terror. I mean, how else do we think, and what else do we think the motivation was for people to smash into a synagogue in the early hours of Friday morning, pour accelerant through the broken windows and set it on fire? I mean, this is not a tobacconist. This is not a, you know, attempted theft. It was clearly an act of terror designed to strike fear in the heart of the Jewish community. And it has incited fear among many in the Jewish community. And so it's good that we can now end that silly debate and we can just focus on finding the perpetrators and hopefully bringing them to justice.
GILBERT: The way that this has progressed with a Federal Police Commissioner speaking to Victoria Police on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. And now this declaration coming today, at least from the police level, has that been handled appropriately? Would you have liked authorities to come out immediately and condemn this as a terrorist attack?
PATERSON: Police should follow the appropriate protocols and processes, but that should never stop politicians calling it as we see it. And that's what the Opposition has done from the beginning. Unfortunately, we can't say the same from government ministers. Even the Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus this morning refused to call this a terrorist attack and refused to be direct and plain speaking when referring to this incident, even though the Prime Minister was finally dragged to saying that on Sunday. So of course police have to follow the processes, that's appropriate. I hope they put in all resources behind this task because we now have, we believe, three suspects at large. That's three people who could abscond from the country. That's three people who could commit other offences against other places of worship. And of course, there may be others in the community who are inspired by this or engaged in some kind of copycat or retribution attacks against other places of faith and that would be an absolute disaster. And we must make sure that does not happen. We still don't know, Kieran, whether or not the National Security Committee of Cabinet has met. I hope that it has. I hope that it happened on Friday. But the Prime Minister has not said whether or not NSC has met, and it is appropriate for NSC to meet so that they can make sure that all federal resources are put behind this task and make sure another act like this doesn't happen.
GILBERT: The joint counter-terrorism team and the resources that flow with that from your experience in this area? Is that going to be sufficient? You've got the Federal Police and Victoria Police having command of this investigation now under that that joint counter-terror operation with the support of ASIO and associated intelligence as well. Is that good enough?
PATERSON: Kieran in my capacity as chair of the intelligence committee when we were in government I have visited the joint counter-terrorism team here in Victoria and been briefed on their operations. It is a very impressive centre that was stood up in response to 9/11 and they are highly successful and professional in the way they go about investigations. So they are the right people to have on this task. I hope though that the federal police and ASIO and anyone else who can contribute to this fight is surging resources to this because it's critical that we get to the bottom of it as quickly as possible so that the offenders do not escape justice and so that no further offences are committed against the Jewish community or any other faith community.
GILBERT: It was encouraging though, to hear the commissioner say that he is confident they've made significant progress on their investigation. And as you rightly point out, with three suspects in their sights.
PATERSON: That's right Kieran. It is very encouraging that they've been able to limit this down to three suspects, that it appears like they know who and what they're looking for. And understandably, the chief commissioner was limited in sharing more with us. But he's speaking in a way that gives me confidence that they are on top of this task. And I do hope they're able to identify and apprehend these people as soon as possible before any further damage is done.
GILBERT: We heard from the Deputy Commissioner of the Federal Police, Chrissy Barrett, there, and she's saying, first of all, that this is a critical moment in the investigation, that it's taking on more resources and a greater focus being labelled a terrorist attack. She also pointed out something and I know this has been a big focus of yours, the prosecution against the use of hate symbols. Was that encouraging to you, the fact that they're making progress on some of those investigations and some are close to being referred to the Director of Prosecutions?
PATERSON: It is encouraging Kieran. But again, I think this has taken too long and the response has been too slow. I have been prosecuting this issue with the federal police at Senate estimates and in other forums for the best part of a year now, because ever since that hate symbols legislation passed the parliament prior to Christmas, it has been an offence to publicly display the symbol or logo of a listed terrorist organisation. And yet we have had people doing so almost every single weekend in our major cities like Melbourne and Sydney since the 7th of October, with no apparent consequences for those people. And they haven't just been waving the flags of Hamas and Hezbollah. But even the al-Qassam Brigades of Hamas, which was the operational wing that carried out the 7th October atrocity. There is no possible misinterpretation of the intent of people wearing an al-Qassam Brigade logo or headband, as people have been doing. Or indeed selling merchandise and stickers which glorify terrorism and which vilify the Jewish community. And so it's pleasing that progress has been made. But I think if we'd had this sort of decisive action six months ago or a year ago, then things might not have got out of hand as they have. If the Prime Minister and the Attorney-General, and the Home Affairs Minister, had made their expectations clear to police about enforcing the law, then things might not have got as bad as they now have.
GILBERT: The suggestions National Cabinet should meet to combat the scourge of anti-Semitism. The Premier of Victoria seemed open to that idea. It's obviously something you would encourage?
PATERSON: I'm bewildered by the fact Kieran that this has not yet happened. Peter Dutton wrote to the Prime Minister in November last year, just one month after the attacks, and urged him to convene National Cabinet to discuss the anti-Semitism and extremism crisis that was already unfolding in our country. Of course it has become much, much worse since then. The Prime Minister not only has not acted on that advice, has not only not taken up that suggestion, he hasn't even had the courtesy to reply to Peter Dutton’s letter calling on him to do so. It's welcome that Jacinta Allan has supported it. I don't think we need to wait any longer. I think the Prime Minister should immediately convene the National Cabinet before Christmas so that we can tackle this problem with the seriousness and resolve that it requires. It is a national crisis. It is out of control. And if we don't stop it, there could be further events like the Adass Israel bombing, or they could even be escalations of that and worse events like that. I mean, you heard the Chief Commissioner just say that this had the same effect as if there had been an incendiary device. It was a sophisticated attack. It's destroyed the synagogue. I was there only a few hours ago. I had a look inside. It is utterly destroyed. It does look like a bomb has gone off. And that's how serious this is.
GILBERT: Indeed. And I know you've said the government hasn't responded effectively or strongly enough. They've pushed back saying that. Immediately, the Prime Minister condemned the attack, that he did have one of his senior figures at the synagogue on Friday. And then when the Council of Australian Jewry asked for more funds for security on Saturday night, that that was announced on Sunday, that they responded immediately with $32.5 million. Have you overstepped the mark in some of the criticism? The senior figure in the government, incidentally, was Bill Shorten, one of the senior cabinet ministers in Melbourne who was at the synagogue on Friday.
PATERSON: Kieran, condemnation is the bare minimum that we should expect from the Prime Minister when there's a terrorist attack against a synagogue. That's the bare minimum. Funding certainly welcome, but the Jewish community has said very clearly what they want even more than funding is law enforcement. And of course, it's welcome that Bill Shorten, a retiring cabinet minister about a month left in the job, was decent enough to show up on Friday. But where have the other ministers been? I mean, he has Victorian based senior national security cabinet members like the Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister, Minister Richard Marles. What was he doing over the weekend that was more important than this? Mark Dreyfus, the Attorney-General, why couldn't he show up? Why hasn't the Prime Minister been here yet? If he has been prioritising political campaigning in Western Australia over visiting the synagogue and showing his solidarity with the community, then I think he'll be very harshly and rightly judged for it. We're now on day four after this attack and not only has the Prime Minister not shown up, Tony Burke has not only not shown up, he still hasn't even done a press conference. He still hasn't even done a media interview. The best we've got out of him is a couple of tweets and a couple of comments to the media. And that is not good enough because he's the Minister for Home Affairs for all Australians and he has just as much responsibility to stand up for and protect the Jewish community as any other community. And I think he's failing to do that.
GILBERT: Shadow Home Affairs Minister James Paterson. Thanks. Appreciate your time.
ENDS
