‘Should be ashamed’: Dutton lashes out at anti-Semitism

Peter Dutton has warned Australia should be “ashamed” of the rise of anti-semitism in universities and at pro-Palestinian protests the wake of the October 7 attacks accusing Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of failing to act.

In a strongly worded speech, the Liberal leader said bipartisan agreement on a motion to honour the victims of the October 7 attacks could not be reached blaming the Prime Minister’s intransigence in negotiating over its contents.

“There has been a position of bipartisanship on these issues, and your predecessors would have had the decency to respect the Jewish community in a way you’ve not done today,’’ Mr Dutton said.

“And for that Prime Minister, you should stand condemned.

“We have put to this Prime Minister a more than reasonable position, and the Prime Minister has rejected that position for his own political domestic advancement, and that has been recognised by millions of Australians, and for that, the Prime Minister should be condemned.”

As Mr Dutton spoke, Mr Albanese shook his head and interjected that the criticism was unbelievable.

“It is unbelievable,’’ Mr Dutton responded.

“It is this prime minister who has departed from the precedent of the Labor Party…people who should be speaking up, people who should be out there advocating a position as Bill Shorten is as many people Mr Speaker in the Labor Party are able to do, but not this prime minister.

Earlier, Mr Dutton told parliament that “today is the day where this parliament was meant to mark what should be a solemn moment, a solemn moment where 1200 people lost their lives.”

“As I’ve said, we’ve gone backwards and forwards with the Prime Minister and his offices, forward in good faith, but not able to reach agreement in relation to this matter,’’ he said.

“And I think what it says to Australians, Mr Speaker, is that on this day, the eighth of October, the day after the first sitting, day after the seventh of October anniversary, that this Prime Minister wasn’t able to lead a moment of bipartisanship in this parliament, which, in my memory, is without precedent.

“The words included in the motion …stresses the need to break the cycle of violence and supports international efforts to de-escalate for a ceasefire in Gaza and in Lebanon, and for lasting peace and security for Israel, Palestine, Palestinian, Lebanese and all people in the region.

“There are other sections here which go well beyond the intent of what should be a motion to mark the loss of life of 1200 people on the first anniversary.

“That’s what this motion was to be about. But of course, the Prime Minister is trying to speak out of both sides of his mouth, and that is not something that we will support in relation to this debate.

Mr Dutton said the rise of anti-semitism in Australia in the wake of Hamas’ attacks on October 7 was chilling and disturbing.

“On the ninth of October, on the steps of the Sydney Opera House, people started their chants about, ‘where are the Jews?’

“It was eerily similar to what we’ve seen in the period of the 1930s and it started on the ninth of October in this country, and it has run largely unabated over the course of last 12 months.

“Prime Minister himself has outlined details of his own office being protested and picketed, and some of the vile acts that we’ve seen supported by the Greens political party and others the anti Semitism which is now rife on university campuses, where for months and months and months, people of Jewish heritage, whether they were students or lecturers or visiting fellows, whatever it might have been were treated as Jews have been treated over the course of history, with disdain and with hatred and with racism.

“And those campuses have held those protests over a long, long period of time, over many months. We know that we’ve got Jewish schools in this country that have armed guards permanently present so that young children can go to receive their education without the threat of a terrorist attack.

“We know that there are aged care facilities in Australia housing elderly Jewish people of Jewish heritage, Jewish Australians to protect them from an attack. We know that graffiti has been scribbled on the walls of Jewish schools and places of worship.

“What has happened over the last 12 months is something that our country should be ashamed of.”

Earlier, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said that “each and every one of us has a responsibility to prevent conflict in the Middle East from being used as a platform for prejudice at home.”

“I want to be clear to anyone who thinks about taking a Hamas or Hezbollah flag to a protest, these symbols are not acceptable,’’ he said.

“They are symbols of terror.

“They are illegal and they will not be tolerated here. Hamas and Hezbollah serve no cause but terror.

“They have shown themselves to be the enemy of the very people they purport to represent, and we unequivocally condemn any indication of support for such organisations.”

“It is important to recognise that the loss and grief of this past year has been deeply felt here in Australia. Sorrow knows no boundaries.

“It recognises no differences. Since the atrocities of October 7, Jewish Australians have felt the shadows of the past creeping into the present.

We condemn the poison of anti-Semitism, whatever form it takes, this is a pain the Jewish people should never have had to endure again.

“The Holocaust is not softened by the passing of time. It doesn’t recede into history.”

“Again, I want to repeat the message that I’ve given to all Jewish Australians since the outset. You are not alone. Your fellow Australians stand with you. Our social cohesion has been built over the course of generations by people of all backgrounds and from every faith and tradition, all of us take pride in it, and all of us must work together to protect it.”