Gordon Reid (Robertson, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Home Affairs. How has the government responded today to those who seek to spread hatred and undermine social cohesion in our country?

Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Robertson for the question. I want to pay tribute to the work, first of all, of ASIO, the Australian Federal Police and all the state and territory police forces. In particular, all members of parliament are thinking of the Victorian state police force today as well. I know the significant amount of work and the analytical rigour that goes into ASIO assessments. They do not reach these conclusions lightly.

This is an unprecedented attack on our society. It is aimed at creating fear. It's stoking internal divisions and eroding our social cohesion. While, after the attack, it was described in the media that no-one was injured—and that's true—people were harmed. The people who are part of that community at the Adass Israel synagogue were harmed. The owners of the Lewis Continental Kitchen and all their customers were harmed. The local communities around were harmed, the Jewish community was harmed and we as a nation were harmed.

There is antisemitism in Australia. It is real. It is ugly. It is debilitating. While this particular attack commenced with antisemitism originating in Iran, nothing changes the fact that these were antisemitic attacks and the impact was identical—the impact on our communities and the impact on our nation. Some antisemitic elements in Australia, as a result of these attacks, felt emboldened. But any antisemitic attack—in fact, any attack that relies on any form of dehumanising bigotry—is an attack on Australia.

This extraordinary attack which occurred on our soil means we have to adapt our response to a changing threat. That's why, as the Prime Minister said earlier, the government intends on changing the Criminal Code so that we can list the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps. This sends the strongest possible signal that this conduct has reached a new and totally unacceptable low. The existing Criminal Code clauses, which were designed decades ago, were intended to deal with different threats to what we are now facing.

The antisemitism which drove this attack, as I said, began in Iran, not Australia, but, importantly, we must not allow the blame to fall on Australians of Iranian descent. That's exactly the kind of disunity and division that these attacks were designed to create. Instead, Australia stands together. These attempts at division will fail. They already have. We as a nation stand together in unity and strength.

Hon. Members:

Honourable members interjecting—Hear, hear!