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July 7, 2025
SHARRI MARKSON: Returning now to the antisemitic attacks on the weekend. Let's bring in Liberal Senator James Paterson. James, thank you very much for your time tonight. And you've been one of the strongest figures in the Coalition on this issue, which is why I was so keen to speak to you this evening. The Jacinta Allan government has now announced an anti-hate task force. Do you think this is good enough at this point, more reviews when really we know what needs to be done?
JAMES PATERSON: Of course it's not good enough, Sharri, and honestly, wasn't the fire bombing of the Adass Israel synagogue last year enough for Jacinta Allan to realise that this was a serious crisis in Victoria and indeed a serious crisis in our country? Why did it require the firebombing of a second synagogue for her to establish a task force that will probably make the same recommendations that the Executive Council of Australian Jewry and others have made for the action which is required to combat this issue? I think the Allan government here in Victoria is guilty of the same thing which the Albanese government is guilty of, which is they thought that antisemitism would go away on its own, that it wouldn't require leadership, that it wouldn't require action, that it wouldn't require fortitude, that wouldn't require strength. That if they just let it be that it will eventually die a quiet death and go away and wouldn't be a problem anymore. I hope they have now been absolved of that false assumption because this is a crisis, it's an ongoing one, it's getting worse, and it requires leadership and action now.
SHARRI MARKSON: James, you're very close to the Jewish community. So you would know what I said at the end of my editorial earlier is true, that there are many Australian Jews questioning how safe life now is in our country, how safe people feel going to a synagogue, going to a restaurant that is owned by Jews or serves Israeli food. There are people leaving or thinking about leaving. And how have we come to this as a nation?
JAMES PATERSON: You're right, Sharri. This is a sentiment which, unfortunately, I do hear from the Jewish community in Australia and here in Melbourne. And I urge Australian Jews to stay committed to our country because we are a better country with you as part of it and would be a far worse country if you ever feel you have to leave it. And frankly, if this country ever becomes unsafe for Jews, well, then it's unsafe for me and my family and my friends and my community too. I don't want to be part of a country that's not safe for Jews. So we all have to band together and we have to fight to make it so. And we have to have expectations of our government that they will lead, that they will take action. Like you, I do give Tony Burke credit for a better response to this incident than the Adass Israel synagogue. It took him almost a week to visit the Adass synagogue. He did no press conference. There wasn't even a social media post. This time within 48 hours he turned up, he held a press conference and his words I think were strong and they appeared to be heartfelt. But I will judge him by his deeds and his actions not just by his words and he could do well to go back to the Executive Council of Australian Jewry's letter after the Sky News antisemitism summit that contained those 15 policy ideas, many which relate to him and his portfolio including stripping the funding for organisations involved in promoting antisemitism. Because as Tahli Blicblau said in The Australian today, this is not just about enforcing the law and consequences, which of course it is, it is also about the culture that leads to these attitudes festering. And if you let these organisations which promote hate and promote antisemitism, receive taxpayers' money, then you're implying an endorsement of it and no wonder it gets so out of control.
SHARRI MARKSON: No, indeed. A couple of other things I want to ask you about. One is the Israeli government's strong rebuke, really. Benjamin Netanyahu weighed in on this. He released a statement demanding that the Australian government take action to deal with the rioters to the fullest extent of the law. But which leads me to the second point. This death to the IDF chant. It's more transparent than from the river to the sea. Does it need to immediately be deemed hate speech?
JAMES PATERSON: Well, the ugly face of the anti-Israel movement is revealing itself every day more and more clearly in the community. If there was any doubt left about that, I think that doubt has now been removed. They want to terrorise Jews. They want them to feel unsafe. They're willing to go and protest aggressively, almost violently, at restaurants as well as synagogues in order to achieve that aim. And they're being very clear that peace is not their objective. Now, you and I always knew that peace wasn't their objective, but they're making that very clear with these chants. And there have to be real consequences. I think that chant should be examined as to whether it not constitutes incitement to violence. It seems pretty clear to me that the intent is to incite violence, and while sometimes they're careful with their language and they say the IDF instead of Israelis, or they say Zionists instead of Jews, I think we all know what's underlying that.
SHARRI MARKSON: Particularly when the actions speak louder than the words and the places they are targeting are, you know, a synagogue, a Jewish place of worship, nothing to do with Israel.
JAMES PATERSON: Exactly right.
SHARRI MARKSON: James Paterson, thank you so much. I appreciate your clarity as always. Thank you.
ENDS