“No One Trusts You Anymore… It’s Too Little, Too Late”: Intelligence Deputy Slams PM For Failure On Antisemitism, National Security
Deputy Chair of Parliament’s powerful intelligence committee, Andrew Wallace, has sensationally called out the Albanese Labor Government as Parliament debates long-awaited hate crime legislation.
“The Attorney-General claimed that his government “is committed to the safety and security of the community”. Tell that to the people of Alice Springs. Tell that to the Australian Border Force Officers. Tell that to victims of knife crime, of child exploitation, and domestic violence who are paying the price for Labor’s careless cuts, Tell that to Jewish Australians.” Mr Wallace said.
“A synagogue was firebombed. A childcare centre was torched. Universities, schools, shopfronts, street corners, and public monuments have been crippled and vandalised by antisemitic protestors. Doxing, abuse, discrimination, and online hate. We are reliving the rise of antisemitism that we saw in Europe in the 1930s, including modern day pogroms,” Mr Wallace warned.
“In the midst of this antisemitism crisis, the Albanese Labor Government has equivocated and hesitated to support Australia’s Jewish community and our enduring partner in Israel. Lives and livelihoods are at risk because Labor cares more about its crass political fortunes more than keeping Australians safe,” Mr Wallace said.
“The Australian people will not forget that we had to drag Labor kicking and screaming to act on this issue. They have all but enabled radicalisation with their soft touch on big-tech and vile protest,” Mr Wallace continued, adding, “As a result, Labor have plunged Australia into a national security crisis through their weak leadership and misguided priorities.”
“And while Anthony Albanese has offered words of sympathy, and a delayed condemnation of antisemitism, his words are vacuous. No one trusts this Prime Minister anymore,” Mr Wallace concluded. “This legislation is an important step but it’s too little, too late. That should be the slogan for his government: too little, too late.”
The Coalition has put forward real consequences for antisemitism, including commitments to:
o Deport non-citizens who perpetrate antisemitic offences and strengthen the character test under migration law.
o Set up a dedicated antisemitism taskforce led by our intelligence and law enforcement agencies.
o Prioritise antisemitic offences, including doxing, as a matter of operational urgency.
o Establish an independent judicial inquiry into antisemitism on Australian campuses
o Increase funding for holocaust memorials and education centres.
o Strengthen the sentencing regime for terrorism by legislating for a mandatory minimum term of 6 years imprisonment for all acts of terrorism under Commonwealth law
o Introduce mandatory minimum sentences of 12 months imprisonment for the public display of prohibited Nazi symbols, prohibited terrorist organisation symbols, and giving the Nazi salute in public, and increase the maximum penalty to 5 years imprisonment
o And as I’ve already mentioned, they must amend draft laws currently before the Parliament to make it a hate crime to urge or threaten damage to a place of worship; punishable by imprisonment for 5 years or 7 years in the case of an aggravated offence.
Find out more about the Coalition’s plan to get Australia back on track: www.liberal.org.au/our-plan
