House debates Questions without Notice

Antisemitism

Wednesday, 14 October 2026 House of Representatives

Julian Leeser

Julian Leeser Berowra, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Indigenous Australians

2:37 pm

My question is to the Minister for Multicultural Affairs. In April, the Albanese government handed a $300,000 grant to the OnePath Network, an Islamic media company which compared Israel to Nazi Germany and claimed the firebombing of a Jewish childcare centre in Sydney was staged. Last night, the Minister for Home Affairs told the Daily Telegraph that the Minister for Multicultural Affairs was responsible for the grant. Why on earth did the minister give taxpayer funding to a group spilling hate-filled lies about Jews?

Anne Aly

Anne Aly Cowan, Australian Labor Party, Minister for International Development

2:38 pm

I thank the member opposite for his question. The decision that the member refers to was a decision that was made by the department. The department has now sent OnePath a notice of intention to terminate, and that begins the process of revoking the grant.

The government provided funding in this year's budget for a new technology to scan the public statements of visa applicants. Today, I directed the department to explore how this technology could also be used in the grants application process. The grants process has supported a wide range of community media outlets, and the department has now, as I mentioned, delivered a notice of intention to terminate.