Why on Sky News. This is Sharry.
Good Evening. Welcome to the show.
Just three programs left before our Christmas break, so don't miss a moment.
And it's a big show tonight.
I have an exclusive story Penny Wong accused of villifying Israel and contributing to the climate of fear and anti Semitism in Australia. James Patterson and Dave Sharma warn that the Foreign Minister should tone down her language before this situation gets even worse. Dave Sharma even accusing the Foreign Minister of dog whistling. And he'll be on my show tonight.
That exclusive story coming up in a moment. Plus Just Enterprise will be on the show live to speak about Peter Dutton's vow not to stand in front of the indigenous flag at press conferences. And why are some Americans celebrating the man charged with the murder of the United Healthcare See what.
Is wrong with this World? Also on the.
Show tonight, Brdwin, Bishop, Dave Sharma, Warren Hogan and when we can expect rate cuts? Plus Israeli Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Sharon Haskell, She'll be on live and she's going to respond to Penny Wong's comparison between.
Israel and China and Russia. That's all coming.
Up, but first to our exclusive story. Senior coalition figures are tonight accusing Penny Wong of dog whistling and creating a climate of fear for Jewish Australians with her provocative language against Israel. Both Shadow Home Affairs Minister James Patterson and Liberal Senator Dave Sharma are urging Penniwong to tone down her rhetoric and to stop fanning the flames of anti Semitism. It's their strongest comments yet.
I'm going to show you them exclusively in just a moment.
But it comes after Pennywog compare the liberal democracy of Israel with evil dictatorships Russia and China.
We expect Russia to by international law and end it's illegal and full scale war on Ukraine. We expect China to buy by international legal decisions in the South China see we expect Israel to bye by international law.
That is a new low, even for Penny Wog.
In a disgraceful speech, she also went from pretending to care about anti Semitism to very quickly returning to her favorite topic.
Of criticizing Israel well.
In response to Pennywong's speech, James Patterson told.
Me today that it's clear.
The Albanezy government has learned nothing from the terrorist attack at a dash synagogue last week.
He said this and I quote for.
The Foreign Minister to compare Israel, a friendly, liberal democracy to two authoritarians dates is an outrageous slur.
He said, it.
Continues Labour's campaign of vilification against the Jewish state and contributes to the climate of fear Jewish Australians are feeling right now. He said the Foreign Minister should tone down her attacks on Israel before it gets even worse.
Now.
Dave Shama, who was Australia's former ambassador to Israel, he also urged Pennywong to calm down her language, and he even accused her of dog whistling. He's on the show live tonight, but this is what he told me. He said, and I quote, I think the government's actively seeking to delegitimize and discredit Israel and the result is it's giving license and encouragement to people who want to take matters
into their own hands and target Jewish Australians. He said, it's effectively like a dog whistle, where on the one hand they condemn anti Semitism, but on the the other hand they fuel the.
Conditions which are giving rise to it.
Now, those are extremely strong remarks Dave Sharma, saying that the Albanezi government and in particular Pennywog, fueling the conditions that give rise to anti Semitism effectively like a dog whistle, he says, and they're right.
Penniwong needs to stop demonizing.
Israel because provocative accusations are, in my view, in flaming tensions and encouraging hatred towards Israel and thus Jews.
But it seems she.
Doesn't care about the impact her words are having on anti Semitism. Albanesi and Pennywog are only emboldening the haters with their wrong and unjust criticism of Israel. Their moral confusion sends a green light to the aggressive pro Hamas mob that's been targeting Jews. A synagogue has been firebombed, and Pennywong and the others need to urgently tone down their language. They should actively try and calm down tensions.
They could even try demand that our hostages are freed, that the UN take action to help the Israeli women currently sex slaves to terrorists in Gaza. They could also demand that Harmas lays down arms. I doubt the Foreign Minister is capable of such moral clarity, and it doesn't seem like the Prime Minister is either, because it took him four and a half days to visit the Addask Synagogue in Melbourne after it was firebombed in the early
hours of Friday morning. Tennis was more important, Whining and dining with labor lobbyists was more important. But finally today the Prime Minister bothered to turn up and visit the site of the terror attack. Albinizi was met with and he shouldn't have been surprised by this, with a hostile reaction from the local Orthodox Jewish community. One woman told him his words were cheap and late. Another asked why
he'd played tennis instead of visiting earlier. There were also questions about whether he was pro Palestinian now when alban Easy arrived and I watched this closely, instead of saying to the local community like I did when I went there yesterday, I'm so sorry for what you've been through. This is such a tough time, or words to that effect. He said this in a jovial tone.
I went to my first bar mitzvah on Saturday.
I went to my first bar mitzvah on Saturday. Really, do you want congratulations for that? Prime Minister? Muzzles of Prime Minister? I mean, this was utterly tone deaf. The a Dusk community is shell shocked. I can tell you that the president of the synagogue told me he's been unable to properly function. One worshiper had tears. This is a grown man, tears rolling down his face when he surveyed the damage inside.
Yesterday. I was there with him.
But Alban Eazy turns up and jokes that he's been to his first bar mitzvah, And in fact I've confirmed today he was only at the bar mitzvah in the synagogue in Perth for literally twenty minutes. He wasn't invited, as his office keeps insisting. He asked if he could drop into the synagogue a publicity effort, and likewise, his visit to a Dust synagogue today was very quick.
He came and left as soon as he could.
He spent the bare minimum time there, no questions, of course, no interaction with the Jews who had legitimate questions for him about why he'd failed to support our community. But he was forced when he went inside the synagogue to on front the.
Brutal reality of what his personal.
Lack of action on anti Semitism has led to a destroyed place of worship, a Jewish community right around Australia reeling, and Australians, good hearted Australians of all faiths aghast at the Prime Minister's lack of moral clarity and his weakness, and still his own senior ministers can't help but speak about Islamophobia. This was ed Husick today, refusing to comment on anti Semitism without mentioning his Lamophobia in this absolutely extraordinary exchange with Kieren Gilbert.
Should the government have done more to stop anti Semitism? Well, I think because every week you're seeing a protest in Melbourne. Hate symbols have been used at many of the protests. Is this a slippery slide that we're seeing this thing just get worse and worse.
I think we should always be on the lookout for things that are used to make people cower or fear, or prevent them from being able to live their daily lives. So be it any Semitism or Islamophobia or anything else where people are singled out because of a particular attribute, we shouldn't be going there.
The governments are criticized for always linking saying any Semitism alongside Islamophobia. James Patterson says, that's part of the problem, that you should just call out any Semitism for what it is, because it's worse now than anything else.
Sorry, So should we turn a blind eye to Islamophobia? Is that what the coalition's saying, Because the coalition has front benches who have said Islamophobia is not a problem, which is just ridiculous.
And this went on and Onny try to compare one incident some time ago to this terror attack, the fire bombing of the synagogue. It was truly unbelievable that ed Husick could continue to downplay the anti Semitary crisis like this. And by the way, his comments came literally at the same time as Albinizi was at the Adoust synagogue that was firebombed. But this follows Chris Bowen just yesterday, also speaking about Islamophobia.
He said that they shouldn't be that Islamophobia shouldn't be mentioned in the same sentence as the Prime Minister has done. If James Patterson thinks there's no Islamophobia in Australia, he's wrong.
He didn't say that, though, He said that when something happens, it should be enough to just denounce anti Semitism, and he.
Went on to say that they're not at the same levels.
Look, but the.
Poilamatory many are you saying they are at the same levels because we've just seen a targeted attack on a synagogue.
I'm saying, Patricia, that both exist and I'm saying that both can be called out.
Not even the Prime Minister can unequivocally condemn anti Semitism as a major threat facing the nation right now, worse than Islamophobia.
Have a look, is anti Semitism a bigger problem than Islamophobia?
Islamophobia?
I think it's well, any Semitism is a major threat, and any Semitism has been.
On the rise.
I mean they're all gas lighting the Jewish community. The Labor defense of their lack of action on anti Semitism has today been to accuse Peter Dutton of playing politics.
Peter Dutton is that he has a political strategy which is a very divisive political strategy and that's not leadership.
There is nothing that Peter Dutton won't seek to politicize and divide our community.
O Peter Dutton decided that it was more important to play partisan games.
Yeah, it's Labor that's playing politics here, continuing to focus on Islamophobia whilst synagogues burn. It's Labor that's playing politics, posturing to Muslim communities in marginal seats instead of governing for all Australia. And Labor is playing politics by their obsession with United Nations votes, seats for buyers and criticizing Israel.
Well, this is all very wrong.
They shouldn't put politics ahead of community safety. The Abanese government needs to focus on their own backyard, their actual job, instead of interfering in a foreign war. Well, if the Prime Minister and his team of pro Palestinian activists actually cared about antisemitism, here's six things that I think they should do.
Firstly, race hate laws.
They need to arrest the perpetrators who are perpetuating violence and hatred, not keep arresting the innocent Jewish bystanders in case their very being is provocative to the haters. Secondly, we do need a national permit system for protests. We need to ban protests if they intimidate the Jewish community. That means no protests outside synagogues or outside Jewish homes, because those protests merely attack people of Jewish faith. It's
got nothing to do with the Middle Least war. They need to stop provocative public criticism of Israel that fans the flames of anti Semitism. As we've been speaking about, words matter, calm down the tensions. Number four, they need to announce a judicial inquiry into antisemitism on university campuses. They voted this down when Julie and Lisa put it forward.
Number five, the Prime Minister should instruct law enforcement to use the full force of the law and the powers available to them to crack down on anti Semitic incidents. And number six, and this is on migration. They need to ensure that proha mus antisemit anti Semites aren't being flown into our country only to erode our Australian values. Well that's my six things that I think the Abnezi government needs to do right now that would make a
tangible difference to our way of life. Pretty simple, none of them complicated. They can be done today now. I thought there was an excellent column in The Australian Today by columnist Claire Lehman, and she put it well when she said that the Albanezy government has failed to move beyond platitudes or the Prime Minister has failed to conveil
authority on an issue that requires leadership. And she writes that since the horrific Upper House rally, Albanezi has followed the model of indifference shown by the New South Wales Police. He says antisemitism has no place in Australia while anti Israel protesters freely demonstrate in front of synagogues. He takes no responsibility for surging attacks on Jews while undermining the
world's only Jewish state. And she makes the excellent point that many political and also corporate leaders who claim the moral high ground on other issues, have been silent on anti Semitism. She writes, rushing to champion indigenous and LGBTQA plus issues, our left leaning leaders for mute when confronting violent hatred directed at Jewish Australians. She says the vicious hatred may come from a militant few, but it's the silent majority, particularly those in positions of power and influence
who let it spread. And that's why James Patterson and Dave Sharma are tonight urging the Foreign Minister to stop trying to discredit Israel because this language is only giving license to the Jew haters to continue their mission of intimidation and persecution. And as I said, Dave Sharma will be on the show a bit later, but now let's get reaction from former Speaker of the House Bronman Bishop and Sky News contributor Joe Hildebrand.
Welcome show, Bromwin.
The Prime Minister was playing tennis, he was meeting with labored donors.
He's had his eye off the ball on this.
The Prime Minister is incapable of leading. As a fact I've said again and again, he was never ever talked about as being a leader.
He is not capable of leading.
But what he and Pennywong are doing is to allow the normalization of anti Semitic behavior so that people will not react to it. And when Hitler became Chancellor in Germany in nineteen thirty three, the first thing they did was to go to the universities to make sure that they accepted the normalization of the hatred of Jews. We've seen what's happened on our campuses. It is because there is no leadership here that is said, this is untenable.
It must not happen. Get away with this word unacceptable. Action needs to be taking, something has to be done to prevent it, and that means that leaders have to take a strong stance. And this man is incapable of it, absolutely incapable. And the gains at Pennyway.
Because he's weak.
So he's incapable of leadership on any issue. Or do you think it's because of his past pro Palestinian.
Combination of both. He was always a part of a mob when he was doing that. Now he's in a leadership position, incapable except when he wants to put in a new candidate. Little pleas ins faction. So it's not good enough anymore to say, oh, look he finally went to that synagogue in Melbourne. He should have gone there before he went to Perse. He's got his own plane, for God's sake, you him.
Do it, Joe.
He's been to a bar Mitz for now though, congratulations Albow.
I think part of the I mean, if you compare and contrast the responses to the same problem by Anthony Abernezer and Chris Mins. I think you see the difference between someone who has a long history in the right of the Labor Party and instinctively knows what to do and knows to do it, knows what to do immediately, and then you have someone like Anthony Alberineze I think, to his credit, is genuinely trying to govern and from the center and genuinely believes himself to be a centrist.
I can tell you that is what I can promise you that is what he genuinely believes. But it is something he doesn't have a great deal of practicing, a great deal of experience in, and so something that would be completely obvious to you people of the center to get on a plane go straight to the Syneagogue he had, or to call it a terror attack, or to you know, to establish an AFP task forces to anti Semitism, and to know when.
He says some of his adviser is telling him this as well.
I'm not sure.
I'm yeah, Look, I'm not sure about the quality of the advice that he's getting on some of these issues.
I know there's a couple of people.
In his office who are very good and there's probably one or two who I don't know why. I would never name names, but I would not know why they were there in first place.
But I do it.
But and Chris Mens, though his instincts, his heart in the right place.
Someone video to speech.
He gave it Central Synagogue in Sydney on Friday night, and.
He really gets you could just see ye.
He speaks from the heart when he talks about this, and he doesn't shy away, you know, he says, I take responsibility.
We haven't done enough.
You know.
I try and get him on the show. I don't know why he doesn't come in the show.
He could direct he's police minister to make sure the police act.
Yes, they haven't been. I agree with you.
He's introducing new laws very well.
He means to be mister nice guy and get up there and say all the right things. But until he gets control of that police minister and makes her either be moved aside and someone else put in so that the police actually act as they should have done at the opera House right from the beginning, or even the other night in Elizabeth Street.
But he's introducing new laws so the police have clear grounds to be able to do that, and that is something has doing.
Outside of synagogue or places of worship. You know, he recognizes the problem and he moves to act on it. And I think absolutely protest should have been bound outside places of worship a long time ago. Let's move on to this extraordinary story coming out of New York. Police have arrested and charged Luigi Mangioni with a shocking public
murder of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson. Now, this is a twenty six year old He was recognized by an employee at McDonald's in Pennsylvania, who then called the police.
But I think, what's employee of the month. I have to say, what an extraordinary.
Effort employee of the world from McDonald's.
But so absurd about this is how some Americans we've seen this on social media are now idolizing this assassin. They're worshiping him as a hero because of some bizarre anti corporate sentiment in the United States.
This man is a socialist, he is revolutionary in that sense his behavior and the man is charged is yet to be tried in the court of law, and he hasn't pleaded, so we don't know what situation that is. But if he is found to be guilty and the manifest that he put out that he is a socialist. And this is what happens when elites. If it is him, the elite upbringing, he is captured by the socialist doctrines, then that's when they start to go off the whales.
And it doesn't matter whether it's the Marxist doctrine or the National Socialist doctrine, or the Hotel or the Chinese Communist Party doctrine. It is all socialism and the end is inevitable, so we have.
To be very careful.
They're the same sort of people who were would be assassin's of Donald Trump, same sort of people.
Yeah, it's terrifying.
Joe, as Bardwin just mentioned, he did have a privileged upbringing, we socialist thing more about his background, went to an Ivy League school.
I mean, this is just such a shocking, bizarre stoctor.
People seem to think that socialism or socialist radicals are people who appear organically from the working class.
That is not true. That is not true.
Socialism is an agree with Bondman. Socialism is an incredibly dangerous and violent doctrine, and it is one that is deliberately imposed upon people from the top down. Carl Martz came from a family of lawyers who owned vineyards. Frederick Engel's family literally owned factories that the workers worked in and between them, these guys wrote the Communist manifesto and told the workers what was good for them, what was
in their interest. These are hopelessly misguided people. They are ideologues for whom the ideology and the theory is more important than any individual human life, and that all human.
Life get to this case, a twenty six year a young guy waits for hours and hours outside it for.
The cause, for the cause that's right, because they.
Believe that people are imbued with that belief side.
For the cause that's right. What happens absolutely true.
To the cause, and the people who are now feeling some sort of empathy towards this man are of the same ilk. Which is why it is so important, why it is desperately important that we can take control of the sorts of things that are taught in our institutions, because we saw, we've seen what's happened when the curriculum is such that the behavior that was tolerated with those demonstrations in our universities and the violence that was together with it.
This is what happens. I mean.
There's also, of course the issue of gun laws in the States.
Yeah, that's right, and look we need to deal with that.
And strangely, the left hasn't been outraged about the proliferation of arms on this person's body allegedly. But again, it is people, I think, romanticizing what is fundamentally a simplistic, stupid, dangerous and.
Ultimately violent ideology.
It's the people who wear the shape of our T shirts and saying this is all just this is all just fun and games. We run around at UNI and we say these things and down with capitalism and fight the power and you know, tear down the page bell whatever, whatever. And there are people out there who probably have some bad wiring in their brains, but they take all this stuff like all fundamentalists, like you know, Islamic extremists, white supremacists,
like all extrememists, like all fundamentalists. They take this stuff literally. Then they take matters into their own hands. And this is what happens. It's no different to you know, a live streaming of the massacre at.
De monscohere not lacking in brain part because you alleterally printed the gun.
Yeah. Well, that's right. He's a Friday and printer. But I think.
I don't understand how those three D printers were all right, Brow and Bishop Joe Hude Brand, it's been great to have you on the show. This cross is our last week before the Christmas break.
Find that I agree with you, Brobin. Sometimes it's been more than I do.
I know it's funny like that, but that's the celebration of ideas the context.
Christy, Yes, indeed we Christmas. Yeah.
Well, speaking of Christmas, there was no Christmas miracle from the IBA today.
It was their final meeting for the year.
They left the cash trade and hold at four point three five percent, unsurprising, of course, because underlying inflation is still above the RBA's target at three point five percent. Here was the Governor, Michelle Bullock speaking earlier.
The board needs to be confident that inflation is moving sustainably towards the target and for this to occur, we need to see more progress on underlying inflation coming down.
Okay, let's bring in now Judo Bank Chief Economic Advisor Warren Hogan.
Warren, good to see you again.
Look, was there anything you found particularly different or surprising from what the RBA governor had to say today.
Yeah, Hi, Sherry, I think we saw a pretty big shift today. They didn't move the right, but they did change the policy statement and the language and the implied guidance from that. They've removed all references to the risk of upside surprises in inflation, and they're talking about that they're getting more comfortable with the outlook. The market is completely run with this, of course, and has seen the pricing in financial markets move to price in a rate
cup for February fully priced for April. I think that's a bit of an overreaction, but I think the Board is clearly wanting to pull back on the rhetoric of the last six months, that is trying to draw by the economy that is, get an effect of higher rates without actually having the high rates.
You just said then that a rate cut in February or even in the first quarridor of next year was probably too optimistic. I mean, realistically, when do you think we could expect a rate cut.
It's very uncertain, and of course with this guidance, it's going to play to a lot of views that are already out there that the economy is weak, that a lot of economists have this rate cup in their forecast. I think that they're still very much on because the reality of our economy is, as you showed, inflation is still above target, and as the governor said and you showed, they are not going to cut rates until not only are they confident inflation is back to target, but it
will stay there. And I still think that's a long way off. So there's a big break now until the next meeting almost ten weeks, and we're going to have a lot of data between now and then.
I can definitely no chance of a February rate cut, because I know that the Labor Party is hoping that there will be a rate cut in February that can announce the federal election campaign off the back of that and claim that the.
Cost of living crisis is over.
Yeah, well, you certainly can't rule it out. And I think if we see a significant shift in the economy in the next few months, it could happen. But I'm not expecting to see that. If anything, we're getting signs that consumer spending's picking up, and of course I think the risk with that is that the move will be interpreted as political and that's of course very damaging for their credibility and Australia's reputation internationally. So look, I don't
think we'll get a rate cut in February. I think the government pushed back in the press conference on that, and I still think that they're unlikely to go before May because I think our economy is actually going to be picking up a bit at place going into the new year.
Yeah, all right, Warren Hogan, thank you very much for your time.
Now still to come, just center Price would join me after Peter Dutton's pledge to drop the Aboriginal flag from press conferences, plus Pennywong accused of vilifying Israel and fanning the flames of anti Semitism.
Dave Sharma would join me next after this quick break, Welcome back.
As we've been speaking about tonight, Foreign Minister Pennywong has outrageously compared the liberal democracy of Israel to dictatorships Russia and China. Israel, which is under existential threat as.
It fights for its survivor.
Now these are inflammatory remarks when anti Semitism.
Is at fever pitch.
As I've told you tonight, Shadow Home Affairs Minister James Patterson told me today that pennywong slur continues Labour's campaign of vilification against the Jewish state. He said it contributes to the climate of fear that Jewish Australians are feeling right now. And I brought you liberal Senator and Australia's former ambassador to Israel, Dave Shima's comments before and I'm pleased to say he joins me live now, Dave Sharma, welcome to the show once again.
Look, what are your thoughts. Do you think.
Pennywong needs to calm down herretoric because she's founding the flames of antisemitism with her constant criticism of the Jewish state.
I think her remarks in her prepared speech and these were prepared remarks, but outrageous and outrageous comparison, but particularly inflammatory in the days after the Jewish communit and it is reeling from the shock of the fire bomb morning
of the Adust singogue. We all need to be careful with our language at this song and comparing Israel, a liberal democratic state that is fighting for its survival, that was attacked unprovoked on the seventh of October and has been attacked many times subsequently since with expansionist autocratic powers like China and Russia simply condones and encourages the sort of anti Israel sentiment we've seen on the streets, which is becoming very quickly anti Semitic and anti Jewish as well.
So I think it was a particularly ill.
Timed intervention by the Foreign Minister, and I think she should be much more careful with her language, given she is Australia's chief diplomat.
Yeah, well, for Australia's chief diplomat, she doesn't use very diplomatic language when it comes to Israel. Dave Sharma, when we spoke of it earlier, the quote you gave me that I played on the screen, you said, it's effectively like a dog whistle.
Can you expand on that.
It is it's effectively condoning and encouraging people who are inclined to vilify Israel and consequently villify the Jewish people. So it's effectively giving a license or creating a permissive environment for people to go out and continue to say that Israel is guilty of the most monstrous crimes and the Jewish people in Australia should be held.
Accountable for that.
Now, that might not be the Foreign Minister's intention, but the way she is using language in a very loose and ill disciplined fashion like this, it can only have that consequence. And surely by now the Prime Minister and other simul labor ministers should have learned the lesson that they all need to be more careful with their public utterances to take some of the temperature out of this issue in Australia. But you know, they are singularly failing
to do so. And I'm just shocked that, as I said, a few days after the synagogue was firebombed, we're still seeing labor ministers speaking in such inflammatory terms.
Not only that, but we saw Chris Bowen yesterday and then Ed Husick today.
They can't talk about anti.
Semitism without speaking about Islamophobia.
I mean, what's their problem?
I just find it so hard to explain. I mean, do you need to name check every form of discrimination when you were talking about one that is particularly problematic.
It just strikes me as so weird.
If there you know, if and when evidence of Islamophobia presents itself, yes we should condemn it, we should discuss it.
But I've seen synagogues being filed bombed. I haven't seen moss being filed bombed.
I've seen Jewish people have their details out and publicly docs. I've seen Jewish owned businesses defaced with graffiti. I've seen an increase in armed presence outside Jewish schools, Jewish religious institutions, Jewish hospitals. That is not happening to any other religious community in Australia. So I don't see why it is so hard for them to recognize this for what it is, antisemitism treated as a priority, rather than saying, you know, it's one of the hosts of a number of societal
hills that we should be dealing with. This is a problem that is out of control at emergency levels in Australia. But the Albanizi government still seems to be treating it as a business as usual proposition.
And you know, the Albanizi government, after quite intense pressure behind the scenes, let me tell you, they eventually announced thirty two million dollars in funding for security for the Jewish community.
But then Dave Sharma, they went and.
Said that it can't be used for armed guards. I mean, how do they want the guards to protect synagogues and schools, like with a wet lettuce.
It's absurd.
It is absurd, and I mean it is also I don't know.
I welcome the additional security funding, but it's also treating the symptoms rather than the disease.
The disease that we've got is anti Semitism.
And you know, all the armed guards in the world not going to make the Jewish community feel safe if they are if they are constantly being vilified, harassed, menace, you know, whether it's if it's not happening physically, if it's happening online, if it's happening to their businesses. That's what the government needs to be addressing, and I wish they would demonstrate that sort of resolve to tackling the causes of this antisemitism we're seeing in Australia.
I just want to turn now before you go to the file of the Assad regime in Syria. Look, there have been celebrations also some notes of caution. The rebels who have seized the country are still well at least some of them have been part of Islamic State al Kaeda style groups in the past. How do you interpret the mover and are you a bit concerned about what the regime will look like.
Well, I'm certainly cautious, you know. Undoubtedly I think the departure of the Assad.
Regime is a good thing.
He was one of the most murderously stabilizing rulers in the Middle East, cruel and oppressive towards his own people, and he was part of the Iranian led access to Resistance of block which has caused so much misery and destabilization in the readers. So that is a good thing. But we're right to be cautious about what takes us place. I mean, heyat terarira Olscham, Yes, it was an offshot of al Qaeda.
Aljelani, the leader of.
HTS, got his start joining al Qaida in Iraq in two thousand and three. So we should be very cautious about this group. It's still a listed terrorist organization, but they have said, at least initially that they intend to respect serious ethnic and religious diversity. We need to hold them to that. But we shouldn't be getting carried away here. I mean, I hope the future for Seria is better than the past fifty years under the Assad regimb has been, but it would be naive to expect that to.
Be the case.
Indeed, indeed, look at shows the weakness of Russia and Iran, no question. But again, I remember when the Taliban returned to power after Joe Biden's withdrawal, and the Taliban promised they were was going to be a new era for women, and now we're seeing women living in the most oppressive circumstances in Afghanistan in recent history.
Dave Sharma really appreciate your time. Thank you. Now, coming up.
After the break, Israel's Deputy Foreign Minister Sharon Haskell will join me live.
That's a bit later on.
I'll get her take on the latest news about the hostage deal, her reaction to Pennywong Syria, also the humiliating travel warning for Australia. But first, right after the break, Justenterprice would join me to discuss Peter Dutton's call that the Aboriginal flag not be shown at press conferences. Just Enterprise coming up next.
Well.
Opposition leader Peter Dutton has sparked quite a fiery debate after his vow to cut the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island of flags from press conferences if he becomes Prime Minister. Here he was with my colleague Peter Credlin last night.
We are dividing our country unnecessarily. Now we should have respect for the Indigenous flag and the Torres straight hole in the flag, but they are not our national flags. And I think the Prime Minister sends a very confusing message.
But Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth called the move divisive.
I think this says Peter Dunn just doing what he knows how to do best, try and get a headline with no substance, no real policies about, for example, tackling cost of living or things that really matter to the Australian people.
All right, I'm Joey now bays Shadow Indigenous Affairs Minister. Just enter Price, just center, Thank you so much for your time. Once again, Look, do you agree with Peter Duarton that there should be in the one Australian flag behind him at press conferences?
Look absolutely shari And in fact, what the country doesn't realize is that when Peter and I delivered a press conference on October fourteen, when the referendum results came in, that is exactly what we did. We stood in front of just the Australian flag because after that result, particularly it was evident to us that the Australian people one day united Australia where we are all represented by one flag.
And we have to remember there were those that gave their lives for our freedoms in this country and did so united as one people of various different backgrounds, including Indigenous, under the Australian flag.
What's your response to people like Commander Rishworth, who we just heard claim this is simply a move that will divide Australians.
Well, Amanda Rishworth evidently does not seem to have the same cares for marginalized Indigenous Australians, particularly when she and her government decided to remove the young Cashlist debit card from some of our most vulnerable communities and she's failed to return to those communities. If she really cared for Indigenous Australians, she would never have removed that in the first place and allowed for the you know, the rivers
of grog to flow once more. So you know, they can say whatever they want, but ultimately we're about bringing Australians together. And I know that Peter Dutton cares a lot for marginalized Indigenous Australians and is prepared to tackle the hard issues instead of pandering to the Green voters on the inner cities.
Look another, we're coming up to the end of the year. We've got Australia Day next month. I can't believe Australia Days next month, but it is late next month. Of course, there's the perennial debate about whether there should be a change of date for Australia Day or not.
What's your view on this issue?
Yeah, Look, I've always been strong on the fact that we should be celebrating Australia Day on the twenty sixth of January for a number of different reasons. You know, many new Australians became citizens on that day. We shouldn't be taking that away from those citizens, the fact that we all became Australian citizens on that very day in nineteen forty nine under the Citizenship Act.
But you know what for those that are.
Continually aggrieved if we chose a different date, but there'd be some reason as to why.
We shouldn't celebrate it on that day.
And I think the agrieve just don't want to celebrate Australia full stop. I think those of us who want to celebrate this great country, black white brindle should be able to go ahead and do so, and I feel more so now than ever, Australians want to come together, stop putting ourselves down as a country and be proud of who we are as a country.
On January twenty sixth.
And what's your view and the welcomes of country ceremonies and how often they should be done? I mean it is a possibility that you will be the Indigenous Affairs Minister in a few shot months time. If you are in that position, what would your comment be on how often these ceremonies are performed?
Sure, well, look, I don't think they're necessary all the time.
I really don't, and I don't believe that. I often think that our bureaucracy is held up because of the fact that the acknowledgments occur before every meeting around every boardroom, or every teams or Skype meeting that takes place, and our efforts will be focused on bringing forward a common sense approach to produce outcomes as opposed to all of this symbolism and tokenism which seem to not actually close the gap or change the lives of marginalized Indigenous Australians
in any positive way. So I don't see that they are necessary. Keep them for, you know, really special occasions, but otherwise I think Australians are pretty much over that level of tokenism in our country now.
There's been a lot of recent reporting in the Herald Sign and the Daily Telegraph around the First Nation's ambassador, Justin Muhammad, a role which is costing tax payers seven hundred and sixty thousand dollars over two years.
According to the Courier Mail.
We are seeing that the costs are sowing even higher with Defat giving a contract role as well for several hundred thousand dollars.
What's your view on whether this is necessary. I don't think it's necessary at all.
It's really unclear as to the role of this ambassador. And if they have to spend two hundred and fifty million dollars to contract to contract another agency to create policy, then what is the ambassador actually themselves doing in this particular role. Isn't it his responsibility to create policy. It's really unclear, and so this is why going forward, if we are to take government, we won't have this role
any longer. We will abolish it and utilize those funds to actually improve the lives of marginalized Indigenous Australians and again ensure that we are represented internationally by one ambassador and Australian ambassador.
It's kind of absurd the double up.
There's also an indigenous foreign policy, a regular foreign policy, just enterprise. Really appreciate your time as always, Thank you so much. Now, don't go anywhere. I'm going to Cross Live to Israel next to discuss net and Yaho, making Time Magazines Person of the Year's short list, plus the latest on the hostage negotiations.
The Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Sharon Haskell will join me next.
Well, let's Cross Live to Israel now, and I'm joined by Israeli Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Charen Hascal Scharen so good to see you as always. Look, Pennywog has accused Israel of being like Russia and China. She's accused it of not abiding by international law. This is in a major speech she gave overnight. What's your view on this comparison with the liberal democracy of Israel to the dictatorships of China and Russia.
Do you accept that comparison?
Well, that's extremely disappointing to hear, especially during these historical times. Israel is fighting the excess of evil Iran. This is not just Israel wars, but this is a Third World war between radical Islam and between our societies, our value values of freedom of democracy, equality, women's right, freedom of religion.
That is the actual war.
And when you see Iran joining together forces, strategic forces, with China, with Russia, with North Korea military training together their armies. To have a state like that by the Foreign Minister of Australia is at least from a point that doesn't really understand the geopolitics in the last year situation in the Middle East at all. And it's very sad to hear that.
It is more sad of.
The decision of Australia on their voting in the General Assembly at the United Nation, which really means that they are rewarding, you know, fromas a terrorist organization, declaring that after the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust, Australia will reward them with a state with no precondition, without returning any of our family members who have been held for more than a year in their dungeons of terror. And you know, Sherry, that's extremely disappointing for us.
I have to say it.
Just continues this trend of Australia's hostile foreign policies towards Israel. Your Prime Minister Nataniahu posted on the wakend he was talking about the terror attack at the adask Synagogan Melbourne, and he said, unfortunately it's impossible to separate this reprehensible act from the extreme anti Israeli position of the Labor
government in Australia. He said, anti Israel's sentiment is antisemitism Sharand do you agree that the Albanese government has fostered a climate where anti Semitism can flourish?
Unfortunately we haven't seen serious measures to enforce the hatred and racism towards shoes in Australia.
You see those really.
Maybe anti Israel, but very much also anti Jewish protests when they go and march in the Sydney Opera House and they shant gas the Jews. What kind of message does that sin was that tolerated? Was that these people were persecuted, arrested, anything legally that was done to them, or were they free to go and continue their marches of hatred and slogans that really calls for violence? How would you interpret any other way someone that is calling
out publicly in demonstrations gass the Jews. Well a year later when that continued on, they would go to a synagogue and would try to murder them, to create a terrorist attack. And so we are beyond words. Words have been said many many times past the year. This is the time for actions, and I think that this government has to combat the hatred and racism towards Jewish community.
And yes, I completely agree with the Prime Minister and I think he said it pretty clearly that the anti Israeli motions that are coming from this current government, unfortunately you cannot separate them with the rise of hatred towards the Jewish community and it's very disappointing. I'm hoping for in the future when we can rely on our allies.
As it got to the point, do you think now where the NAD in Yahoo government of which you are now a part, You know you might not consider Australia under this government an ally.
Well, I can tell you that we feel like we cannot rely on them, and I really pray and hope for better days when we can rely on Australia as our allies.
We had an.
Extremely good relationship throughout the years, a lot of mutual corporations, to the point where Australia was one of the first countries to actually vote in favor of creating, you know, the founding of the Jewish state here in Israel. So, you know, I and it's beyond my own personal disappointment, I think it's very disappointing for the Israeli public and the people who see Australia as one of its greatest allies.
And unfortunately, you know, we feel like we cannot rely at this moment on this current government.
Such a such a disappointing state of affairs, no question, Sharon, I want to get your We're already got a minute left. Now, what's the latest on the hostage negotiations. We are hearing reports that this is underway.
Are they accurate?
So we need to be extremely cautious. You know, even just a couple of months ago, there were three proposals. The Katari, the Egyptians and the Russian. Israel said yes to all these deals, but unfortunately Kamas said no. We do notice that there is a I mean, Kamas didn't rejected it completely, and there's some positive motion and some breakthrough.
But I'm being very very cautious. We are praying that we will be able to bring back our family members as quickly as possible, and I really hope we'll be able to bring some good news and in the next couple of weeks.
Yeah, all right, Sharan Haskell really appreciate your time.
Thank you so much.
And of course before you all, before you all flagged me with emails, we all heard gas the Jews. The police gas lit us and claimed it was where's the Jews?
Either way, it was anti Semitism. That's it from me. He's Danika di Giorgio