Labor MP says parties must not ‘squabble over discrimination’ as Jillian Segal urges prime minister to convene meeting
The Labor MP Josh Burns says there are “clearly gaps in our legal framework” and has called on political parties “not to squabble over discrimination”, after Australia’s special envoy on antisemitism called for urgent action to address a spate of recent incidents she said were “terrorising Australia’s Jewish community”.
Jillian Segal on Wednesday urged the prime minister to convene a national cabinet meeting in response to a series of incidents, including the graffitiing of swastikas on Sydney synagogues on Friday and Saturday last week, and an arson attack on the Adass Israel synagogue in Melbourne in December.
“National cabinet must address the systemic, organised, deliberate and cultural nature of these repeated incidents and the need to ensure that the appropriate message is sent through strong penalties across jurisdictions,” she wrote in an oped in The Australian.
“National cabinet must send the message to the community and to judicial officers that this is systemic and must be treated as such.”
On Tuesday night, Anthony Albanese convened a meeting with the Victorian premier, New South Wales acting premier and the AFP commissioner.
In a statement, he said the three governments are sharing more information between law enforcement agencies, updating legislation and jointly supporting affected communities.
On Wednesday, Albanese said Segal was “very pleased” the meeting occurred but wouldn’t be drawn on whether he would call a full national cabinet meeting with all state and territory leaders, saying “we responded with the states that were involved”.
Burns, whose own office was targeted last year, has been calling for states to change protest laws and implement exclusion zones for places of worship from protesters.
“Clearly we have a crisis in antisemitism in this country,” he told reporters in Melbourne on Wednesday.
“Certainly with the rise of antisemitism, we need to tackle it together in a unified way … where political parties come together and not squabble over discrimination in this country.”
Burns has also been calling for nationally consistent laws to lower the legal threshold for vilification to include serious harm caused by vilification.
He said it made sense for Albanese not to hold full national cabinet meeting but would welcome one.
“It makes sense where there’s large Jewish communities, especially where there’s been a number of extra incidents, that the prime minister speaks to the premiers of those states in particular.
But of course, national cabinet, or a nationally consistent approach, is also one that I would welcome.”
The prime minister has said several times those responsible for the graffiti attacks should face “the full force of the law”.
Segal says her office is now undertaking a “desktop review” of the “patchwork” of state and federal laws.
“Prosecutors and magistrates and judges need to understand that these are not isolated incidents but a growing campaign of intimidatory, aggravated antisemitism, and these crimes must be viewed in that context when considering punishment,” she wrote.
The deputy Liberal leader, Sussan Ley, told Sky News on Wednesday morning the opposition has consistently called for the government to convene national cabinet.
“The question is, is the prime minister actually going to listen to her [Segal]?”
It comes as the US says negotiations for a ceasefire deal in Gaza are “right on the brink”.
Albanese was asked about the negotiations, saying the government is “hopeful” of a ceasefire.
“We want a ceasefire in the interests of both Israelis and those in the occupied Palestinian territories,” he said. “So we are hopeful of a ceasefire. That would be a good thing.
“I think that is what overwhelmingly Australians want to see. And indeed, the international community wants to see as well.”
The opposition leader, Peter Dutton, said his party also supports a ceasefire.
“Certainly we support a ceasefire and we need to make sure the hostages are released and make sure that the terrorist organisation is not being rewarded.
“We have in our country a very strong relationship historically with Israel. The problem at the moment is a government has not seen fit to prioritise that relationship.”
Segal was contacted for comment.
