Live on Sky News. This is Sharry.
Good evening and welcome to this special program live from Melbourne, reporting on the terror attack at the Adas Israel Synagogue, a synagogue that went from this lively, busy place of community.
And prayer.
To this a place of worship so violently destroyed, decimated and desecrated. I saw this for myself today when I was invited to walk through that shocking scene, and when I spoke with the worshiper who survived but so easily could have been killed, I felt compelled to witness this and report on it, to bring you the full horror of this attack, and to reflect on the visceral impact it's had on all right thinking Australians, regardless of our
faith or race. Sadly, shockingly, these pictures show you what antisemitism means. This is the hunting of Jews by arsonists, potentially with murder in their minds and hatred in their hearts, right here in Melbourne, Australia, in twenty twenty four.
Now bring you my.
Full report from the synagogue in a moment. But make no mistake, this is the worst attack on a place of worship in Australia in recent history, with police today officially declaring it a terrorist attack, and the Prime Minister was today forced into action, embarrassed into action, and he announced a special task force to investigate incidents of antisemitism.
Yet Albanezi still hasn't visited the Adas Synagogue. Neither has his Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke or any senior Cabinet minister apart from outgoing rival Bill Shorten.
Now, if this.
Were a mosque, you can bet Alberizi and Burke would have been there mere hours after it happened.
Yeah, true to farm.
We saw Albanesi government ministers speaking about Islamophobia today.
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 Sey and.
He went on to say that they're not at the same levels. Look, but the.
Poilamaty 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.
But there's no Islamophobia crisis. And this is not a mosque, it's a synagogu. It's Jewish people who are being targeted. But this doesn't fit Albanesi's preferred narrative of Palestinians being the victims. That's what he's argued throughout his parliamentary career. It's why he's failed to meet the moment as this anti Semitism crisis erupted.
He has not.
Risen to the occasion of being Prime Minister, where he's obligated to protect all Australians, yet he's allowed one minority group, Jews, to be persecuted. The problem is we literally have pro Palestinian activists in charge of fixing anti Semitism in our country. Now remember this was Albanesi from early in his political career, but he was already a federal MP in Canberra.
Of Israel has been truan.
We've never got the gunships witchas Abrisolf.
And this activism continued throughout Albanese's time in parliament. In twenty seventeen, just two years before Albanesi became opposition leader. He and Tony Burke had a policy forum on Palestine with special guest fellow pro Palestinian activist Bob Carr.
But here's my point.
Can you imagine putting the current antisemitism crisis in the hands of one of the protesters.
You'd simply never do it. Yet that's what we.
Have here with alban Easy and Tony Burke. It's like having the fox in charge of the hen House. Our safety has been categorically put at risk by this government's lack of action on antisemitism, and how can the Prime Minister claim with us straight face, as he did on the weekend, that he's done all he can on anti Semitism. On the contrary, Albanesi and Pennywog have only emboldened the haters. Their moral confusion has encouraged the Israel haters and has
allowed anti Semitism to fester. They've wrongly demonized Israel and thus made Jews a target because in the minds of the haters, Jews are inseparable from Israel, because Israel is the Jewish homeland. Watching the anti Semitism that was erupting, the Albanese government had a responsibility not to fix the Middle East war, but to ensure that all Australians were safe and protected. Instead, they tried to adjudicate the war.
Penniwang should have said Israel has a right a duty to defend itself and it needs to bring its hostages home. She should have said that any nation would do the same, and if she had a criticism, she could have made it in private, knowing how public provocative language could inflame tensions here, but she dangerously chose not to do that.
The Prime Minister has been very slow to acknowledge there's an antisemitism issue, and he probably wouldn't be acting at all if he hadn't been forced into it with accusations that he's been missing in action, literally blasted across the front page of the newspaper. Well after four days of us all watching on in bewilderment at his apparent lack of interest in the fact a synagogue had burnt down. The Prime Minister finally held a press conference today with
the AFP, ASIO and Attorney General. But if it weren't for the media and the principled stand taken by Peter Dutton, James Patterson, Josh fen Berg and the Jewish community leaders. Well, it's unlikely alb and Easy would have announced this today.
Today I can also announce that we have established AFP Special Operation Averalite for Anti Semitism. This is in response to the attack class Friday morning that is now the third arson attack after the attack on Josh Burn's electorate office and the Sydney Willara car incident.
And yet he still hasn't visited the side of what is now officially a declared terrorist incident. Well, like me, Peter Darton was there today. He walked through the synagogue and he found it emotional to.
See the half bird books, scriptures and the devastation to a place that otherwise is peaceful and allows people to practice their faith and to to share each other's company. To be disrupted in that way is a horrible thing to see.
Quite emotional seeing it is.
It is actually yes, yeah, I think when you see and it's not just the site, it's the smell as well, the stench of the fire and you can see where people, young children, others have been sitting. Is entirely predictable, as you've reported to your great credit, on our university campuses and in our streets, people have been crossing red lines
for the last thirteen months. They've acted with gross indecency and now, of course it's culminated in this terrorist attack and maybe it should be surprised by that, and we need to work out how we can quickly resolve these issues so that the next terrorist attack doesn't take place.
Well, I asked Peter Dutton if Albin Easy should turn up, but instead Alban Easy played tennis over the weekend. Action on anti Semitism, Darton said should have been taken fourteen months ago. Peter, you've been here, you've shown the leadership to actually come and visit. The Prime Minister has it and we've just found out it's just been reported that he took time out to play tennis instead of dealing
with this issue over the weekend. What's your response to the fact that he went and played tennis literally while a synagogue was Burnie Well.
I think it's really a story of the last thirteen months and when we saw those horrible circumstances and protests on the steps of the Sydney Opera House, that was really the time when the Prime Minister had to step up, because that would have sent a clear message that we had no tolerance for the any Semitic conduct and the blatant racism that was on display that night. But it's just compounded since then, and so as I say, nobody should be surprised that it's culminated in a terrorist event.
And I think the Prime Minister can tell you about his own position and why the government's taken a position which I think is incomprehensible to my right thinking.
Australians, you think you should come visit.
I think he should come visit, and I think it would be the respectful thing to do.
Well.
As Peter Dutton says, the antisemitism crisis should never have come to this. Pennywong and Albenizi need to be strongly reminded of exactly what their jobs are. Their role is to govern for Australia. It's not to interfere in foreign wars. It's not to tell a sovereign nation how to act when it comes under attack with its civilians killed and kidnapped in an unprovoked act of terror. Albanizi leads the
Australian government, not the Palestinian government. His most basic requirement in office is to provide a safe environment for all of us in Australia. Yet he's disgracefully failed to do this. Let's hope today is the start of proper leadership, and yet somehow I doubt it. Well, it's another huge show tonight. Shutout Home Affairs Minister James Patterson will join us to talk about what he says the government needs to do to fix anti Semitism. I'll also get his thoughts on
the overthrow of the Sad regime in Syria. Plus Cameron Milner, David Gazzard, Israel's anti Semitism envoy. She's going to join me from Israel later in the show. Steve Priceoy Mackenzie as well. But now let's turn to our special report where we show you the utter devastation inside the Addas Israel Synagogue. I went in with you, me a businessman who was studying inside at the time of the fire bombing. It was profoundly heartbreaking.
Here's that report, string Aliens and the deep faith that unites us all.
We're outside the synagogue.
We're about to go inside and witness the extent of the damage after the devastating fire bombing early on Friday morning. You're me thank you so much for taking us inside.
You're the only one here.
When this happens here, so you're me the The first thing that hits you is the smell.
It's so strong, and the soot. The police tape.
This shouldn't be what it's like walking into a synagogue.
It shouldn't.
This main area of the synagogue where the congregants come. I mean it is damaged, but largely it hasn't been burnt to the ground.
Windows have a little bit miracle, miracle this one. It's upsetting that such a thing could happen here in Australia.
It's devastating.
So Umi, let's go through to where the fire really ripped through the synagogue.
Oh, look at this.
It's oh, it's just it's heartbreaking. It's truly heartbreaking.
You were over here in the quiet early hours of the morning, absolute silence.
Tell us what happened.
So I was sitting there, so you can see my books there at the first table there on the left hand side. On the right hand side of the table, there's some books still they're not completely burnt. And I was studying. Suddenly I hit his big bank. It felt like a sledgehammer on a.
Wooden door, and it was on this door, I think, so I don't know.
But then a second later another bank and I saw glass flying out, so I knew that I was under attack. So I just jumped up, ran out, and I forgot my phone. I've been terrifying, terrified, Yes I was, But I am part of Hatsula, and I've got a radio on me, a walkie talkie, and I got on there and.
I said, I'm under attack. Can I have back up?
This is where the fire really ripped through. This is the most destruction in the synagogue.
What usually happens in this room.
In this room, people study and in about six thirty that's when we start praying. So all this is full of books all around the front, full of books all over there is full of books that's all gone with the fire.
You can just see.
Here the burnt prayer books. It's it's truly.
You wouldn't expect to see this in Australia in twenty twenty four.
This is absolutely not.
Definitely, you're a proud Jew. You're living in Australia, a peaceful country. To think that you're in your house of worship, just.
Such a thing would happen. I don't believe.
I wouldn't believe that such a thing would happen here in Australia. It's so far away from the world. Why should anyone target us. I walk on the street normally, I've got nothing against anyone, and I thought no one has ended against us.
It was just in Israel recently for the anniversary of October seven, and I went down to Kidbutz Vary and I saw how hermas burnt that Kidbutz to pieces and kidnapped innocent families. And then you walk in here, and I never expected to see that here in Australia, that similar fire, the same technique. Michael, you're the president of this synagogue.
What's it like to see it like that?
It's very emotional and upsetting. It's very difficult for us to see this, especially my parents. My grand parents will come after the war with shirts on the back. We're knocking at all. Now we have to contain their legacy.
Did you ever man?
Never? Never.
I thought possibly could be a bit off hate, a bit of shouting, bit of scheming. I never imagined it's going to come to this. I was up earty. I got to call it ten plus five Friday the morning I was totally shocked at God's here within five minutes, and I just couldn't function all day and I still can't function. And it's going to be a huge project, huge rebuilding project. All the everything. You see what happens in the Middle Elites. We thought we're in island, we're
far away from the world. We will be immune from all the issues and the problems. What happened in the world. We do not expect this is what happened here at all.
How do you explain this sort of terror attack to your children and grandchildren.
It's very difficult the children, and not only the children, a lot of members, a lot of adults are traumatized, which they can come to terms with it. And when we rebuilt, which will come into tens of millions.
Of dollars to the buildings.
Again, we're going to have to put high security in high everything. Not they will not come. They traumatize, they're scared. What happened to you, Meik Truman happened to them again.
So William, can you tell us this incredible story of this Torres scroll surviving now to synagogue attacks.
The synagogue was fire bombed in Brutdslaver. As you can see, there's a new coat they were put on there because the old coat was damaged and says survived the Holocaust in Brutdoslav And when my parents came to Australia in nineteen forty eight, they built.
Up the synagogue.
They donated to the synagogue and for the second time it has to be rescued from the fire bombing by the same hatred that was there during the Nazi period and seems to have continued over here now in Australia.
How do you feel about that sort of anti semitism of the Holocaust that your parents survived.
Until it's unbelievable and they would be turning their graves to think this happening in the country they came to, a country they thought the best country. The happiest day of my father's life is the day got his naturalization to be Australian citizen.
Was the happiest day of his life.
He couldn't believe it was so proud to be in Australian And to see this happening over here just breaks your heart.
Your parents aren't alive today. What do you think they'd be thinking about.
Turning their graves think?
And that just couldn't happen the country they loved with all their heart came to Australia ninety forty, I didn't want to change a thing. They thought this was the Golden Mednner meaning the golden country, that this is the country to live in, free and happy.
But unfortunately it turned out to be how it is.
The Prime Minister on Friday said anti Semitism has always been around, Sure it has, but not in Australia.
It hasn't. I've never felt that Australia not like this.
Okay, Eleiana, your great grandparents actually founded this synagogue, Yeah, they did.
It's really upsetting to see that in our country, Australia, where it's known for its diversity and multiculturism, that there is such hatred amongst us and on the streets, and it's resulted in the burning.
Of a synagogue where this is a.
Place of worship and where my family is deeply connected to. And my grandparents helped establish this synagogue where they escaped this ant Semitism in Europe where there was many burnings of synagogues there and they came here for safety, and they came here to set up a new life where they could be proud Jews, but I think they would be truly in disbelief of what is happening currently here in our country.
It's just heart wrenching, isn't it. And if you want to donate to help the rebuild, no matter how small, the website to go to is www dot Rebuild a DAS. That's ADAS dot com, Rebuild a Das dot com. All right, we're going to come back to that topic later in the show, but now let's bring in tonight's panel, Sky News host Steve Price and Liberal MP Zoe Mackenzie.
Great to see you both here in Melbourne for once.
We welcome now the Prime Minister was caught out today playing tennis in Codderslow while the community and all Australians were horrified at this terror attack.
Steve Price, how can you believe he.
Was playing tennis instead of addressing the nation on this important issue.
I was staggered that he stayed in Perth for the whole weekend. Forget the tennis. Even if it wasn't playing tennis. I couldn't understand why this happened Friday morning very early. As we know, he should have come straight back to Victoria and should have gone there on the Friday, but then he doesn't go there on the Saturday. Then you get two days of he doesn't even give a media conference, doesn't talk about it, and then when he was asked about playing tennis today, he said, oh, I didn't play
tennis on Sunday morning. And then someone said, what we got it wrong, have we? But he then admitted that he was playing tennis in the afternoon for two hours. I mean, it's such a bad, bad look these people. And the premier is no better, Jacinda Allen, I just completely lost the plot. They don't get it.
Do you think it's his Hawaii moment? Oh, Zoey McKenzie.
Oh, he's had a few of these moments, I think where he's just shown a real tone deafness, whether it's cost of living, pressures on families, pressures on small business, red tape, industrial relations, and now these may I say this is one off now three really significant fire bombing instances, but hundreds of other instances, people being attacked on the streets, hit on the streets, abused on the street, eggs being
thrown at them, being spat on in the city. There was plenty of evidence of a proper narrative proper leadership being required in October of last year.
The fact that we're still here.
In December and there are days of songs. So he didn't send out Richard Marles WTPM, he's just down the road, didn't send out the attorney general. He's even closer to the synagogue.
You know where the premier was now, I'm in a pub on Sunday.
She didn't go to that vigil.
She was in Northcotte in a hotel making an announcement about licensing laws.
The leadership is absolutely disgraceful.
And you know Melbourne, I think, does you know we're seeing anti semitism everywhere. It feels like it's been particularly acute in this community. I think at least new Southews Premier Chris Mens, his instincts are in the right place. Yes, we haven't had enough law enforcement action, but his heart's in the right place. He came out on the weekend and he said, well, we need a banned protest outside of synagogue. This is what I've been saying for such a long time.
You can't just protest just Senator Allen said tonight that she won't even introduce a permit system to stop people marching your a call. As you report at the time that that march past to Senegorge and Sydney, it was denied a permit and they changed the route. She was asked again tonight, will you put in a permit system to stop pro Palestinian marches carrying a Palestinian flag shouting out from the river to the sea.
No, it's the most basic thing that should be done. Look, I want to turn to another couple of stories that are around today. We will come back to this. I've got James Patterson on the show a bit later. Plus Israel's Auntie Seventi is of mine, so I'm going to have full coverage tonight. But we are seeing reports in the Herald Sun today about just how much the controversial
First Nations People ambassador is costing. Now, we are already know that the salary is nearly eight hundred thousand dollars, but Steve, now we've got this report that DEFACT is also awarding a consultancy firm more than a quarter of a million dollars to help develop a policy strategy.
And this follows that ambassador's travel which was I think one hundred and forty five thousand dollars worth of business class airfares around the world, talking about a separate indigenous foreign policy that apparently we're going to introduce. I mean, since when do we have an indigenous foreign policy Peter Dutton. I think Zoe said he's going to scrap it, isn't he?
Not that I've seen today, necessarily, but that would be a logical investigation to make that. Together with the other three hundred and sixteen billion dollars of additional funding that have contributed thirty six thousand additional public servants in Canberra, it's quite a long list of expenditure that we need to start with if ever we get back into government Canberra.
Zoie, maybe Peter Dutton needs to announce an elon musk vivak Ramaswami style.
Zos Well, I think that's already on Benevisionzy. To be fair, everything that he.
Came out and said on the weekend that this government needed to do, they've actually gone and done just four days too late. So again it's Peter's leadership on the weekend saying we need to have an antisemitism task force, we need to look at whether we should take away visas for people who have committed anti Semitic acts. I was recently in India with a bunch of German politicians. They actually take away citizenship if it's been found that
somebody committed a grave anti Semitic act. So again Peter is leading the debate and the Prime Minister has come slowly, slowly up behind.
Who's the mask?
Who we're going to like?
Go boss?
We'd have to work out who should be appointed to it. But it's a good idea.
It's a fantastic idea.
The public services bloated a.
Six thousand extra since albody's he was elected.
Yeah, it's costed and we're the bunch of mopouts already.
Intense it makes sense, absolutely ridiculous.
Yeah, we should maybe get Peter Dutton on the show and speak to him about that idea. It is possible that he's going to be the Prime minister because we've seen today two disastrous polls for alban Easy News poll in the Australian and Resolve in the Herald, which had Labour's primary just twenty seven percent. I mean, you'd think they can't really win with a twenty seven percent primary.
Steve, do you think it's.
Now looking like Peter Dutton could went outright. I mean we always talk about how the most likely scenario is Albanesi and minority government.
But do you reckon now? People are just turning off. You know that the Prime Minister has lost the confidence.
Of Australia absolutely, I mean he is a leader is shot. I mean that poll today showed that the preferred prime minister attitudes towards Anthony Albanezia the worst in Newspole history. So he's gone. I mean Labor has to stick with him. They can't change leaders to en Now. In the election, Ken Peter Dutton beat him, I think. So it's a lot of seats that Zoe and the Coalition have got to win. But Peter Dutton is giving the right messages. I mean he's telling things, telling the people things they
want to hear. And it'll be interesting to see the nuclear policy when it's released this week and what sort of blowback that gets from the public. But remember this poll, which is the worst ever in Newspol history for Elbow, was before what happened on Friday at the synagogue and before we found out he was playing tennis.
That's what it's like.
Now, Yeah, good point, Zoe, What do you think. I mean, if it was a contest just between the Coalition and Labor, you'd think probably Peter Dutton would win. But then there's the question of the Teals how many seats are you and a cross batch? But on the Teals question, how many seats realistically do you think the Coalition can win back?
Well, I think it's all a question of people understanding that when they vote Teal they probably get something else eventually. So the question for each Teal in the field is who will you back in the questions of government majority and supply in particular, So every single one this time we now know precisely what they're choosing between, whether it is it Dutton government, a coalition government with the record we had for the previous twelve years, or this government
and its continuation. Steve and I turns out live quite close to each other. You wouldn't meet a man or a woman on the street who says Elbow's done a good job. I have got endless shops in what is a tourism zone. As we head into the peak of summer, all businesses are closing, left, right and center. They're all backed by their mortgage which is costing them on average twenty six thousand dollars extra just in interest.
Payments every year.
No one is saying thanks Albow, Steve.
What do you think I mean? I saw Tim Wilson out today.
He's trying to unsee Zoe Daniels in Goldstein. What do you think I mean? I think it seems like a Legris spender will be tough to beat. In Wantworth. Roeknox is giving it a good shot. She's working very hard. What's your sense of the tials in Melbourne.
Well, in Melbourne Victoria, I think, and Zoe correct me if I'm wrong. I think they can probably get Cooljong back Manik Ryan has not been a good member at all, and the Liberals have chosen fantastic Emilia Hayman. That's a great candidate. I think Zoey Daniels is in trouble in Goldstein. I think Tim Wilson, even though he lost to her at the last election, probably he could. They could pick
that up. I think that's a real possibility. In Sydney, I think one of those Northern Beaches seats they can probably get back. So it's a work in progress, but I think in general, the people who voted to you last time unless they're completely committed to the Teal cause would be disappointed in what those people delivered. They haven't done anything for anybody.
Yeah, exactly, And I think a lot of the Teal vote last time was a protest vote against Scott Morrison.
Yes, it was an individual which.
We won't see this time around. All right, Zo McKenzie, Steve Price. So great to be here with you in Melvin tonight.
Thank you, Cherry.
Now still to come? Is it all over?
Red Rover for alban easy, with Australians fed up with his leadership and the vast majority rejecting the.
Notion he has their back.
Plus Shutou Home Affairs Minister James Patterson will join me next with what Anthony Albertezi needs to do specifically to fix this antisemitism crisis. That's after this quick break, welcome back.
Well.
Since October seven, Senator James Patterson has been outstanding and steadfast in calling out Labour's lack of moral clarity on anti Semitism.
The problem should.
Have been nipped in the bud immediately after the Upper House protest some fourteen months ago. Or to discuss this and what should be done, I caught up with James Patterson earlier today, James Patterson, thank you so much for your time. We're standing here outside the adust Synagogue.
Many of us.
Are asking how did antisemitism in Australia get to this point.
I think the ansashari is that the Prime Minister ignored the warnings. He ignored the Jewish community, he ignored the opposition, he ignored so many people who've been crying out for fourteen months that anti Semitism is out of control in our country and that if something serious wasn't done, then something tragic would happen. And this is the tragic thing.
That has happened.
It is a miracle that no one died, but someone easily could have. And unfortunately, there's still possibility this will get worse. As far as we know, the people behind this are still at large, and there could be others in the community who are seeking to copy it. And that's why we need a strong response from the beginning, a strong moral response calling out anti semitism, and a strong operational response enforcing the law, making sure there are
consequences for extremists and their behavior. Otherwise they would become emboldened, and they have.
Been, and that's by so many Australians, particularly in the Jewish community, are feeling so.
Anxious at the moment.
James, you and Peter Darton have been so strong on the need to tackle anti semitism. Today you've come out and said precisely what measures you think need to be taken.
Can you talk us through them?
Well, we've heard the Jewish community when they say the number one thing they want from governance is for the law to be enforced. And so we've announced that we will establish a new AFP led task force to tackle antisemitism that will include Border Force and AZIO and our other key intelligence and security agencies at the federal level, and that we will direct them through a ministry or
direction to prioritize anti semitism and particularly unresolved complaints. We also want them to look back on complaints that they've decided not to proceed with charges for, because we want to make sure they are consequences for the people who've done what they've done. We'll also ensure that the Executive Council of Australian Injuries request for thirty two point five million dollars of security funding will be delivered, but critically
without strings. Attached because the other Nazi government has said they're not allowed to spend that money on armed guards at schools and shools, and that only on unarmed guards, and that's rageous. Well, that will lead to people downgrading security rather than upgrading security at a time of crisis.
And finally, we will reform section five oh one of the Migration Act, the Character Provisions to make sure that we can cancel the visas and deport anyone who's involved in anti Semitism or glorifying terrorism.
We've seen overnight scenes of Australians, including children on the streets, calling death to Jews somehow in response to the regime change in Syria.
There's been so much of.
This hatred over the past year, and you barely hear a word, let alone any action from law enforcement. What reaction should there be do you think, Well.
I hope Charo, this is not yet a nun instance of incitement to violence against the Jewish community that goes unprosecuted, because we've had so many examples since the seventh of October of criminal incitement to violence at the federal and state level, and yet no charges have been laid, let alone anyone prosecuted or sent to prison over this. So
we need a different response this time. We need our state and federal governments to lean in and to charge people with these offenses, because if you don't charge them, and if there aren't consequences, they become emboldened. And no wonder we've seen the scenes like this, No wonder said when people aren't being charged with terrorist organization symbols, when they're showing the flags of listed terrorist organizations, no wonder, they don't fear the consequences.
Chris Bowen this morning has said that your remarks just calling for antisemitism to be dealt with.
He's called them disgusting.
What's your response to what Chris Bowen has had to say about you.
Today, Well, Chris Bolin should be ashamed of the lack of response from his government since the seventh October to the anti Semitism crisis.
He needs to.
Understand, like Tony Burke and the other ministers need to understand that they're ministers in the Australian government for all Australians. They're not ministers for Western Sydney or just some of their constituents.
They've got an.
Obligation to protect all Australians, and it is a disgrace that to this day, four days on, we've still not heard from Tony Burke. He hasn't done a press conference, he hasn't done.
A meter interview. I mean, do we seriously.
Think that if it was a mosque instead of a synagogue that had been firebombed, that anybody would stand between Tony Burke and a television camera. He would have been out there on day one. But we're now on day four and he's still missing an action.
And Chris Bowmen again couldn't speak about anti semitism today without also talking about Islamophobia, where one form of racism is at crisis point in this country.
Correct, The evidence is very clear Anti Semitism is the most prolific form of hatred in our country. It is off the chart since the seventh October. Of course, we should call out other forms of racism when they occur, but you don't need to call out Islamophobia when there's been an instance of anti Semitism. The Jewish community is the only community whose experience of racism can't be called out in isolation, at least by our Prime minister. He
always has to balance it again. Other communities and I think that is an abrogation of leadership and it's a moral failure.
Yeah.
I feel like having Tony Burker's Home Affairs Minister is a bit like having the Fox in charge of the Henhouse.
It was a bizarre decision for the Prime Minister to appoint Tony Burke to this portfolio. The only reason why he would have done so is if he's putting Labour's political interests ahead of the national interest. They want to
hold those seats in Western Sydney. They're worried that the Muslim Votes Matter movement will rise up and take those seats off them at the election, and so they put him in this position of power so he can approve Palestinian visas and do other things to appease extremists in our community, instead of putting someone in that position who could act in the national interest and protect all Australians.
Yeah, which is so important right now.
Just finally, i'd like to ask your comment on the toppling of the Assad regime in Syria.
Clearly this is.
A good thing that this murderous regime is now over, Aside has reportedly fled to Russia. But we just don't know what comes next with these rebel forces and what the nature of that new government will be.
Luck You're right, Charri. No one should mourn the collapse of the Assad regime, this siagime that used chemical weapons on its own people. And it is never a bad day when a proxy of the Iranian state, when a proxy of the Russian state falls over, but we should be sober about what might replace it. We know among the disparate group of rebels that have taken power, there are groups that have their origins in both ISIS and
Al Qaeda. HTS, one of the key groups, is listed as a terrorist organization in Australia and around the world, but they have made commitments about how they intend to govern Syria going forward, and it's important that we hold them to those commitments because we have seen in other revolutions like this in the Middle East, particularly in Libya, that sometimes what replaces what had been before can be even worse, and it's critical that Syria does not become
worse than it has already been during this terrible silvers of the war.
James Patterson, thank you so much once again for your strength in fighting anti Semitis, and really appreciate your time.
Thank you, Chary.
Well still to come. Reports that are hostage, dear, could be imminent. This is breaking news tonight and I'm going to cross live to Israel for the latest. But first Cameron Milner and David Gazard will run through those dire poll figures where Albinizi was rated the weakest prime.
Minister in decades.
I'll tell you what you don't need polling to know that that's.
Coming up after this quick break, welcome back.
Well, lots more to come tonight, so let's get straight into it with our political panel former chief of staff to Bill Shorten, Cameron Milner and former advisor to John Howard at David Gazard. Welcome to you both. Well, let's return to those News poll results today. They were shocking for the prime minister. I mean the headline, the most voters now consider Albinizi the weakest prime minister in decades. His strong and Decisive leader rating has plummeted five points
to forty four percent. Now, this is the lowest score for prime minister in this category since News Poll began measuring it in two.
Thousand and eight.
After and Rud's when Cameron, you've written yet another sensational piece on the nightly. Well, tell us just how weak is alban Easy in your view?
Well, as we broke first on your program when we did the GXO JLP pole back in May, voters when they asked thought he was weak, useless and a liar. So this has been a view around for a while. But the thing critical about this to poll Shari is this was taken before the utterly disastrous, utterly disastrous response to the act of terrorism that was the at synagogue
fire bombing in Melbourne. This is a bloke who was being briefed on the plane about a terrorist act and went to a fundraiser with Big Oil to raise more money for his campaign. This is a bloke who on Saturday saw other leaders going to the synagogue but had time to go off and play a game at tennis. This is a guy who made big time smears of Scott Morrison saying he doesn't hold a hose about the bushfires in Australia, but we know when it comes to
fire bombing a synagogue, he holds a tennis racket. He holds a tennis rakt Shari. This guy is a disgrace.
This should this.
Guy should not be our prime minister any longer if this is how he responds to a national crisis.
So true, David Gazard, what do you think about the response we've seen from Alberan easy over a terrorist attack? We on you it was a terrorist attack. It's taken authorities for days to label it as such. How do you think the Prime Minister's responded.
Well, it's reprehensible and I think it lies the accusations that have been level against the Prime Minister for now months that he's thinking more about the seats he holds in Western Sydney than he is about the national interest. So we've got a community living in fear while the Prime Minister basically washes his hands or or comes to
the party days late on declaring this terrorism. And to Cameron's point, I mean, this is sort of standard behavior from the Prime minister, you know, and it's no wonder that people are marking him down. He's in a cost of living crisis. He's a property wheeler and dealer with a four point three million dollar house on a cliff top.
He's getting flight upgrades and now he says he's for Jewish community, but he's playing tennis when he clearly should be down at that synagogue and sympathizing and announcing clear action that he's going to assist that community. We don't get any of that from the Prime Minister.
No, we've had nothing. And you know the task force that he did announce today, well he was forced into it because the opposition, the community, the media on the front page of every paper was criticizing him for lack of action. But it's not just on social cohesion. And again this is no problem just for Jewish Australians. All kind hearted Australians of all faiths despise the racism and the lawlessness and the aggression that we're seeing on our streets.
But on the cost of living crisis. In the Resolve poll today, Cameron, fifty nine percent of voters say they're worse off than when Albanizi came to power, despite his campaign platform being on cost of living, only thirteen percent said they felt better off. I don't know who those thirteen percent could possibly have been, but Cameron, you know this is a major issue as well.
The economy.
Oh, the economies front and center are made worse by these acts of national terrorism that we're seeing specifically targeted the Jewish communy in Australia, but no cost of living is a huge issue for Labor and little wonder that people are feeling much worse off than three years ago because they've spit their COVID savings. They're actually on their you know, the bearings their pants, trying to pay mortgage
rates at record levels, grocery bills, petrol. Everything's gone up under Albanize, everything's gone up under elbow and that's the problem for our bees. He just looks so blase into your point, David, so out of touch, so at a touch. You know, the retirement house on the top of the hill that only has room for a jocuzi, not a tennis court. This guy is so out of touch with what Australians are currently living through with their cost living crisis.
David.
In that Resolve poll that I just mentioned, they had Labour's primary sitting at twenty seven percent.
From your extensive experience.
With political campaigns, do you think it's now at a point where Labor will struggle to even form minority government.
Look to form government as they did at the last election with the primary vote of thirty two point six percent was extraordinary. That is a historic low number one in three people giving their first preference to the Labor Party, and they still managed to cobble together a government with the support of Greens and Teals. Over the course of the last two and a half years, Anthony Alberanezi has
shed five percentage points of that historic low number. He's now sitting at twenty seven if the Resolve poll is to believe. At the same time, that's on top of the thirty two percent he shared what somewhere between fifteen and twenty percent of the first primary vote base that he had. He's down down into one in every four voters giving their primary vote. But at the same time, his spending is at never before seen highs, which is
pumped up inflation. He hasn't been able to cobble together any kind of serious cost of living package, which is what people have been looking for. He's been obsessed with the voice, he's obsessed now with Palestine. He seems distracted, as Cameron notes, with his own personal living situations. I mean these numbers to your point, I can't see him getting majority government, whether or not there's going to be enough Green and support to cobble together a minority government.
I guess you know.
I mean you look at the two PP numbers, is only marginally behind, so it is possible. Three months ago, no one thought a minority coalition government was possible. Now people are starting to talk about a majority coalition government with Peter Dutton as Prime Minister in.
His own right.
Yeah, they are, indeed, and it seems to me like died In is feeling pretty confident that that could happen as well. All right, Cararamean and David Gazard, great to see you both.
Now, don't go anywhere.
There's breaking news tonight that Hamas has provided the names of hostages and the details of their medical conditions to Israel. I'm going to cross life to Israel after this quick break.
Welcome back.
Well.
In breaking news tonight, Channel twelve television in Israel has reported that Hamas has provided the names of hostages and details about their medical conditions to Israeli authorities. This is even said to include the names of sick and elderly individuals. Now, we're yet to have this information confirmed, and there are also unconfirmed reports that a hostage deal could be imminent or to discuss I'm joined now by Israel's Special Envoy
to combating anti Semitism. Mikhail Kottler Wunch, Mikail, thank you very much for joining me live in Israel. Look, if this is true, this would be the most welcome news that we all desperately need.
Look, it has been the most devastating time for more than four hundred and twenty days for now one hundred families, communities, and I would say the entire population in Israel that's been devastated by the continued holding of one hundred hostages.
And yes, it would be welcome news. But I want to point out four of the hundred still held by a genocidal terror proxy of the Islamic Republican Iran, that is Kamas, who stole people from their beds and youngsters dancing at a peace festival on October seventh, twenty twenty three. Four of the one hundred that we count have actually been held by that Commas in Gaza for more than
ten years. And the reason that that's important for me to underscore two deceased soldiers Adar Golden and Aron Choul, two civilians Averra Magisto and Hisham Assayad, And for more than ten years we have been at the UN we have spoken with a red cross, we have spoken with governments around the world and the systemic failure to uphold existing laws to what is a standing violation of international law.
It's called the standing violation because every second of every minute, of every hour of every day of every week of every month of these ten years, the four human beings were held as currency, as human sacrifices, if you will, were enabled and emboldened the terror entities to actually then steal two hundred and fifty one more people and continue holding another now ninety six in addition to those four. And that is a very critical piece that we have
to be clear about. It is a manifestation that is a manifestation of the systemic failure of democracies of Western powers to ensure that international law, the international rules based order, is applied equally and consistently across the board. By the way, not just on terror entities of course, who care not about international law for the international rules based order, but on the countries that have enabled them, including not just since October the seventh, twenty twenty three, but for the
last ten years Qatar, turky and so on. And so that is just part and parcel of yes, the hope that we have to see those that are alive back to their families for rehabilitation, those that have been murdered
returned for proper burial in Israel. But we have to be very clear terror terror enabled to dictate, if you will, the terms and conditions and equations by which democracies function is emboldened to do so in every other context, not just in this context, and not just in the geography that is the state of Israel.
Yeah.
Well, let's hope that this time the reports are accurate, because you know, it's so hard for the families to get their hopes up and then to be devastated once again.
But we'll keep on.
Bringing everyone news of this as it unfolds, if it unfolds throughout the week. Now, Mikhail, we've only got a minute or so left, but I just want to ask you about the terrorist attack at the Adas Synagogue here in Australia. Australians are just despairing at the lack of leadership we've seen on anti Semitism, and you mentioned the UN votes. Our government has had only hostile positions at the UN. What do you think We've got thirty seconds now, what does the AB and easy government need to do.
Look the Albanesi government, and I'm going to say again it's the same part of the systemic failure to call out with moral clarity and courage the anti Semitism, and it is a tsunami of antisemitism in Melbourne, in Montreal, in Washington, New York, around the world on and since October seventh, in response to the worst attack of Jews since the Holocaust by genocidal terror proxies of an Islamic
regime in Iran. The failure to act, to apply existing policies, to apply existing rules, to ensure that what has been enabled by silence and by neutrality and by false moral equivalents top down, as you said, by government has.
Actually unleashed percent riot one percent.
I'm sorry, we've run out of time, Michal, thank you very much for joining us.
I'll see you tomorrow at eight. And here is Paul in the man Cave.