Julian Leeser (Berowra, Liberal Party, Shadow Attorney-General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. For over two years the government has ignored warnings from the Persian community, the Jewish community and the coalition about Iran. Firebombings and terror were the result. For two months the government has had the report of its own antisemitism envoy with actions to protect not just the Jewish community but all Australians but has done nothing. Why is it, when it comes to taking these threats seriously, this government is always playing catch-up?

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

The member who asked the question has a record of standing up on racial issues across the board, including through his support for Indigenous Australians. What we're seeing here, though, is a political response which is entirely inappropriate and entirely different from the leadership of the Jewish community that he mentions. Indeed—

Alex Hawke (Mitchell, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Industry and Innovation) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On a point of order, the Prime Minister couldn't avoid making a reflection on the member for Berowra. It is not a political attack that the member is making; it's a genuine point and it is something that the member for Berowra has a longstanding track record of feeling passionately about.

Honourable members interjecting—

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Manager of Opposition Business will pause. The member for Isaacs is warned. I want to hear the point of order, and I'm going to ask you to state the point of order straightaway.

Alex Hawke (Mitchell, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Industry and Innovation) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The point of order is the imputation against the member for Berowra that he's doing something for a motivation that is political. He is not. He has a longstanding track record on these issues, and he raised a question. It's completely unnecessary for the Prime Minister to accuse him of being political on a national security issue.

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Prime Minister was asked a question by the member. He's responding to it. I'll make sure he's being directly relevant and following standing orders.

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

The member for Canning, this morning, went through the process for when he was the chair of the intelligence committee, when the former government was in office. He said this:

We put it through the right channels, but nonetheless, here we are now …

He said:

I had a number of ministers who had a direct interest in the work of the committee, from home affairs, foreign affairs, defence, and so on. Anyone who sat on the national security committee of cabinet had an interest in what we did on the committee. It wasn't listed, but here we are …

I thank the member for Canning for his ongoing response when it comes to national security issues, and I acknowledge his service in our uniform.

The fact is that the Iranian regime did not come into office after this regime here, in 2022. The Iranian regime have been there for a long period of time and have engaged in activity that has been inappropriate. They have a different world view to everyone in this chamber. That should be a bipartisan position. But the withdrawal of an ambassador is a very serious step, indeed, to take. That is the step that we have taken.

When it comes to the revolutionary guard, of course, because it is an arm of the state, the advice that we received is that it will need special legislation, unlike other terror groups which have been listed which are not part of a state operation. That had been the case under the former government, and it's still the case today, which is why we will take the time to get the legislation right and to make sure it is channelled.

I hope I get another question, or perhaps I can get an extension. I'm happy to go through what the government have done when it comes to antisemitism across the board, because we have had a comprehensive response. He raises the envoy on antisemitism; we created it. They never did it. Envoys on antisemitism have existed in the United States and in other countries right around the world. (Extension of time granted) I spoke about the establishment and appointment of Jillian Segal as Australia's first Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism. One of the first things—

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The member for Fairfax, the person next to you just asked for an extension so the Prime Minister could list all these things. You asked for this. So everyone is going to be silent now, because you've requested that the Prime Minister list the items, and he's going to do so.

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

One of the first things that Ms Segal did was attend the world envoys on antisemitism conference in South America—because other countries have had envoys for a long period of time. It never happened until this government.

We, of course, established Special Operation Avalite with the AFP and the intelligence agencies to combat acts of antisemitism. What they have done is make rather extraordinary findings after hard work about the caravan incident in Sydney and then about the incidents in Melbourne with the Adass synagogue and the restaurant in Bondi—important work going through the chain of command, tracing it to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in Iran and working backwards with those people who were paid both offshore and onshore to commit what are criminal acts driven overseas by antisemitism but driven by some of the perpetrators as simply being petty and, in some cases, not-so-petty criminals in order to be paid to do that.

We have imposed new counterterrorism sanctions on terror grounds. We have had a landmark ban on the Nazi salute and hate symbols—never happened before—with penalties of one-year imprisonment or a fine of up to $16½ thousand. We've criminalised doxxing, something that was raised by the Jewish community in particular. The legislation was opposed by the coalition when we did it last year. We have worked with states and territories on a national hate crimes and incident database. We've appointed Australia's first national student ombudsman. Just this week on Monday, I met once again, as I have every year for a couple of decades, with the Australasian Union of Jewish Students, talking to them directly about what they had gone through in recent times and talking to them as well about something that is not new.

I had the president of National Action, James Saleam, who ended up in jail for murder, who ran for president of Sydney Uni SRC way back in 1983 when I was a student there. Antisemitism is not new. It has been around for a long period of time, as have Neo-Nazis as well. ASIO have warned about the rise of hard-right extremism. Of course, we see it tragically in recent times. We'll have more to say when the police are able to confirm issues, and we await those announcements before we raise them in the House.

In the weeks following the 7 October terrorist attack, we committed $25 million for improved safety and security of Jewish sites across the country, including schools. We added to that, within 24 hours of being requested, $32.5 million for security measures for schools and synagogues. We passed legislation to criminalise hate speech. We provided $250,000 towards the replacement and restoration of Torah scrolls in that Adass Israel synagogue, $1.2 million for security upgrades to current buildings and $30 million to restore the synagogue and community centre. I was the first prime minister to visit the school there at Adass Israel. We provided $8½ million to upgrade the Sydney Jewish Museum, where I went with the member for Wentworth, with funding to also go towards the Centre of Jewish Life and Tolerance. We announced $100 million for countering violent extremism.

We provided an additional $4 million to expand the social cohesion work of Together for Humanity in schools. We've provided $4.4 million to establish the National Holocaust Education Centre here in Canberra. This will be accessible to the more than 160,000 school students who visit Canberra each year. I myself was able to welcome Enfield Public School here about an hour ago. They might be in the gallery somewhere during question time. It is important that when people visit the centre here, just like they visit the National Gallery, the National Museum or the Australian War Memorial, part of that itinerary for young Australians is raising the issue of antisemitism and education, which we will do. We committed $18 million to the Jewish Arts Quarter in Melbourne.

I'm asked also in the original question about the response of the Jewish community. Jeremy Leibler, from the Zionist Federation of Australia, said:

the Government's actions today send a powerful and principled message that terrorism, foreign interference, and hate have no place in Australia.

AIJAC, the Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council, said:

The government has acted promptly and appropriately in response to ASIO's confirmation of this Iranian aggression against Australia.

The New South Wales Jewish Board of Deputies said:

The Government has taken the right and appropriate steps in proscribing the IRGC and expelling Iranian diplomats based in Australia.

The Iranian community has responded as well. AUSIRAN said, 'We welcome the Australian government's decision to expel the ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran following ASIO's confirmation of the regime's direct involvement in attacks on Australian soil.' The Australian Iranian Community Organisation said: 'We commend Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his government for their clear and resolute actions. By taking this courageous stand, Australia is not only safeguarding its own national security but also upholding justice, diversity and the protection of all its citizens regardless of faith or heritage.'

We on this side of the House and, I would hope, people across the parliament understand that there are times when the nation should just come together. I would have thought that yesterday was one of those times, and it was. It's a pity it hasn't lasted till today.