Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Bradfield for her question. Indeed, we do need to deal with a comprehensive response not just to antisemitism but also to building social cohesion. I think the attack that we saw in Perth is an example of something that the authorities are dealing with. I'll be meeting with the WA commissioner, who was in the chamber earlier today, along with the AFP commissioner to be briefed on that at a later time, because that was a very serious incident that is being looked at being designated to be an act of terrorism, and the authorities are looking at that indeed. Having received a preliminary briefing, I think it is quite extraordinary that there weren't more serious consequences of what occurred there in Perth. Antisemitism requires constant vigilance. We brought forward the legislation before the parliament, and it is a fact that there was a considerable advance through legislation not just on guns but on hate speech. It didn't go as far as the envoy on antisemitism's report recommended, but, nonetheless, it was a significant advance forward. I thank all those who voted for that legislation in both the House and the Senate.

We'll continue to engage across the board on these issues. The member refers to extremism and to issues breaking down social cohesion. We have had incidents as well of so-called sovereign citizens being involved in the murder of police officers in Victoria and Queensland. There is a range of threats that are very real, including, of course, a number of incidents that have been publicised before the court involving myself and members of parliament.

I think we need a broader conversation as a society as well about the impact of polarisation and about the impact, as I've said, of social media pushing people towards more and more extremes down these rabbit holes, and the fact that it's, well, clickbait.

Well, there's two seconds to go.

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