Radio interview - ABC Radio National Breakfast

PATRICIA KARVELAS, HOST: This morning, Australia is waking up to yet another act of antisemitic hate, this time in the Sydney suburb of Woollahra. It comes a little more than a day after the Prime Minister unveiled a new taskforce to tackle antisemitic crimes in the wake of last week's arson attack on a synagogue in Melbourne. The Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, is my guest this morning. Prime Minister, welcome.

ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: Good morning, Patricia.

KARVELAS: What's happening in Australia?

PRIME MINISTER: Well, this incident in the eastern suburbs of Sydney is an outrage. It is another antisemitic attack and all Australians must condemn it. I spoken with the AFP Commissioner Kershaw this morning. I'll be briefed by AFP Operation Avalite officials as well. I stand with the Jewish community and unequivocally condemn this attack. There's no place for antisemitism in this country, or anywhere else for that matter.

KARVELAS: I've seen some people on the text line say, it's not antisemitic, it's anti-Israel. What's your answer to that?

PRIME MINISTER: This is an attack, this isn't an attack on a government, this is an attack on people because they happen to be Jewish. That is what has occurred. Yesterday at the Adass Synagogue in Melbourne, I met with community leaders. I went to the President, Mr Spigelman's home and had a discussion with everyone from the principal from the local school to other community leaders there. Family members came as well. I was very warmly welcomed into Mr Spigelman's home, and I thank him for giving me that honour. These are people, who are Australians, going about their lives as Australians. And the idea that we take a conflict overseas and bring it here is something that is quite contrary to what Australia was built on, which is one where we, our great strength, comes from the fact that people can live of different faiths, different ethnicities, different backgrounds, side by side. And we're strengthened by that diversity. We respect each other. And this is a hate crime. It's as simple as that.

KARVELAS: Jewish Australians say they don't feel safe in this country. What's your message to them? They're saying they don't feel safe. They don't feel safe to send their kids to school, they don't feel safe in their own homes.

PRIME MINISTER: That, overwhelmingly, Australians are respectful people. Australians want to live peacefully side by side and Australians reject this abhorrent criminal behaviour. This is criminal behaviour, to call it for what it is. This is not a political act. This does not change anything that is occurring on the ground in the Middle East. This is an attack against their fellow Australians.

KARVELAS: Prime Minister, I just spoke with Jane Hume and she said the Government had emboldened and enabled this kind of behaviour.

PRIME MINISTER: Well, that is, yet again, a divisive comment. This is a time for unity, not a time to seek political advantage or to seek to divide. And I'd just say to, whether it's the Coalition, this is a time where we should unite around our common Australian values, and those values are respect for each other.

KARVELAS: Have you reached out to Peter Dutton?

PRIME MINISTER: I'm not quite sure what that means.

KARVELAS: Over this. Over, you know, saying it's not the time for division.

PRIME MINISTER: I speak to Peter Dutton all the time.

KARVELAS: Do you? How often?

PRIME MINISTER: I do. Because we're in the Parliament together, just across from each other, Patricia, and we regularly have meetings. We discuss issues as appropriate. We have both private discussions, but also public discussions.

KARVELAS: And on this issue, given you're saying we need unity and not division, are you seeking to speak to him to bring the Coalition and Labor together on this issue of antisemitism?

PRIME MINISTER: Patricia, we've sat down, we've had motions in the Parliament. We've had discussions regularly. And that's something you're aware of.

KARVELAS: What I know is that the Coalition has really cranked up its pressure on you and said that you took too long to go to the synagogue, that you have dropped the ball on this issue of antisemitism. You know that you're receiving a lot of criticism about the speed in which you've responded. What's your answer to that critique?

PRIME MINISTER: Patricia, Friday morning, after this event, I'd been briefed by the AFP. I'd rung into your colleague Raf Epstein's program on ABC Melbourne and responded publicly. We'd put out a statement. I'd spoken to Josh Burns, I'd spoken to Mr Spigelman, I'd spoken to other Jewish community leaders as well. On Saturday, I visited a synagogue in Perth. On Saturday evening, we received a request for additional security funding because the $20 million we had provided was almost expended. On Sunday morning, less than 24 hours later, I responded with support for $32.5 million of additional funding. On Monday, we had the National Security Committee meeting held, we received full briefings after the meeting between the Vic Pol and the federal authorities as well, who then declared it officially an act of terrorism. We established AFP Operation Avalite that day with coordination across the AFP, state police, officials and our intelligence agencies, led, of course, by ASIO as well. And I held a press conference with the Director-General of ASIO and Commissioner Kershaw of the AFP, along with the Attorney-General and the Home Affairs Minister.

KARVELAS: Prime Minister, with the benefit of hindsight, should Operation Avalite been set up after Josh Burns' office was attacked? I think that was a really obvious sign that things had escalated.

PRIME MINISTER: Police authorities continue to act. It is by and large investigations are undertaken by state police authorities. But the intelligence agencies, the National Security Committee has been regularly briefed. The Australian Federal Police have been involved as well. So, they have continued to respond. We have taken a range of measures. On top of that, we've introduced the landmark ban on the Nazi salute and hate symbols that came into effect in January 2024. We appointed Jillian Segal, who I met with yesterday morning in Canberra as Australia's first Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism. And one of the things that Ms Segel said to me was she attended after her appointment a meeting of antisemitism envoys around the world that met in South America. They spoke about the need for bipartisanship as one of the principles that occurs there. We criminalised doxxing, something that was called for, but which unfortunately the Opposition voted against. We did that on the last day of Parliament as part of our privacy legislation. We now have legislation before the Parliament to criminalise hate speech, including the urging or threatening of force or violence against other individuals or groups because of who they are and what their beliefs are. So, we have consistently taken action. We'll continue to take action. We'll continue to take advice as well from the Special Envoy and we'll continue as well to listen to and to engage with our police forces and the appropriate authorities.

KARVELAS: Prime Minister, yesterday I had one of your backbenchers, Josh Burns, on the program who revealed that he'd lost his voice. He wanted James Paterson to read a statement on his behalf and James Paterson said to him that he couldn't because Peter Dutton didn't want him to. How do you reflect on that? Had you been part of any of these discussions?

PRIME MINISTER: Well, I certainly was aware that prior to it occurring that Josh Burns was going to stand up with James Paterson. I thought that was a good thing. That was a good thing. Josh is someone who continues to engage, representing his community as the local Member for Macnamara. He's a good person. I note that Mr Dutton has been critical of Josh Burns and the representation he's given to his community. I find that criticism quite extraordinary and unfair. He's an outstanding Member of Parliament and he's a first class representative for Macnamara, for everyone in Macnamara of course, and particular -

KARVELAS: What does that say about Peter Dutton's mindset?

PRIME MINISTER: Well, it just says, I think people will make their own judgments. I find it astonishing that Peter Dutton stopped a member of his team reading out comments from Josh Burns. What we need to do is to look at ways in which we bring people together, not always seek to divide. Unity is important, particularly at this time. And I think it is unfortunate that that occurred and I frankly do not comprehend why the motivation of doing that is. But I also don't understand the personal attacks that have occurred on Josh Burns.

KARVELAS: Prime Minister, I just want to turn you. You talk about unity on the flags. You stand in front of Australian flag, Aboriginal flag and a Torres Strait Islander flag. Peter Dutton says he won't do that if he becomes Prime Minister. That we should have one Australian flag that we, that, you know, you stand in front of. What do you make of that?

PRIME MINISTER: Again, always looking for division, always looking for a culture difference. It costs nothing to show respect. And the flags were designated, of course, back in 1995. And I think that it's up to Mr Dutton to explain why he has chosen to attempt to make this an issue. That's a matter for him.

KARVELAS: Prime Minister, in the last few minutes we have together you're making a huge announcement today on child care. You're removing the activity test. People on very big incomes up to, I think it's just over $500,000 a year will be able to get the subsidy under your changes. Why should families earning that much be able to get a child care subsidy?

PRIME MINISTER: This is about children. Just as everyone can send their child to the local public school or the local high school, because we understand that these issues are universal, that every child has the right to go to school. Governments have a responsibility to make that possible. We believe every child has the right to go to early education if that choice is made. And we're going to make that possible, this will help some 66,000 families be better off. And this decision is about what's best for children. It's as simple as that. And so we want every child to be able to access three days of quality early education. We are going to as well make some further announcements today about infrastructure and investment to make sure that communities that don't have access to child care are able to get that.

KARVELAS: Prime Minister, are you going to serve a full term if you win the next election?

PRIME MINISTER: Yes.

KARVELAS: Quick answer. That was helpful with my timing because the news is coming up. Prime Minister, look, I really appreciate you calling in. I know you're on your way to, of course, Brisbane to deliver the speech. And this is, the attacks we've seen in Woollahra, we wanted to give them some prominence today. But I want to say thank you for all the time you've come on to Radio National Breakfast. And I look forward to speaking to you again next year in a different place. I really appreciate your time.

PRIME MINISTER: Thank you, Patricia. And, you know, congratulations on what you've achieved there on breakfast radio. It's compulsory listening for people who want to find out what's happened first thing in the morning. And thank you for always providing a spot.

KARVELAS: Always, Prime Minister. We're out of time. See you on Afternoon Briefing.

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