‘Complete fabrication’: Dutton wrong about antisemitism apology, says Dreyfus

Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus has flatly rejected a claim from Peter Dutton over an angry debate on the rise of antisemitism, accusing the opposition leader of spreading a “complete fabrication” over what took place in parliament on Monday.

Dreyfus hit back after Dutton told a press conference on Tuesday morning the attorney-general had apologised to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese for his remarks during the debate yesterday.

Labor MPs Richard Marles (left) and Tony Burke (right) react to the opposition’s attempt to silence Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus (centre) in question time on Monday.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

“Peter Dutton’s claims are a complete fabrication,” Dreyfus said in the wake of the opposition leader’s appearance.

The response escalates the political row over antisemitism after Dutton took offence on Monday when Dreyfus said the opposition had taken every opportunity to “politicise the trauma” among Jewish people over the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.

In a move that shocked ministers, the Coalition reacted to Dreyfus on Monday by moving in parliament that he “be no longer heard” – a relatively rare motion that forces a vote on whether to silence the person speaking.

Labor MPs reacted strongly to the move, jeering at times, because the motion meant the Coalition was seeking to silence a senior Jewish cabinet minister as he was speaking about antisemitism. The motion was put by the manager of opposition business in the House of Representatives, Michael Sukkar, after a brief word with Dutton.

Dreyfus in question time on Monday. On Tuesday, he said he stood by all his remarks.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

The motion came after Dreyfus recalled his visit last month to the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, the concentration camp where more than 1.1 million Jews were murdered in the Holocaust.

“In the last few months, I have stood in the shadow of the main gate at the Auschwitz death camp, I have stood on the field where a music festival in Israel was turned into a bloodbath, and I have stood in the ruins of a burnt-out synagogue in my own home town,” Dreyfus said on Monday.

“But those opposite have taken every opportunity since 7 October 2023 to politicise the trauma and the experiences of the Jewish people.”

The Coalition lost the motion to silence Dreyfus by 91 to 52 votes. Dreyfus was supported by all crossbenchers in the chamber including the teal independents, former Nationals member Andrew Gee and western Sydney member Dai Le.

Dutton defended the move during his press conference in Parliament on Tuesday, insisted the Coalition had not politicised antisemitism and said Dreyfus should have apologised for his comments.

“It was a slur, it was misplaced, he, I think, apologised to the prime minister on the front bench afterwards, and so he should,” Dutton said.

“Mark Dreyfus has been largely missing from this debate in 15 months, and, I think, if you speak to people within the Jewish community, there are a lot of people who wouldn’t be that complimentary about the contribution, or lack thereof, that’s been made by the attorney-general given the rise, and the flourish of antisemitic conduct that we’ve seen.

“So it was appropriate and it was right response for somebody, regardless of who they are, that seeks to say we’re politicising what I think is an incredibly important issue.”

One Labor adviser called Dutton’s remark about the apology a “lie” but the attorney-general avoided that word – a term that is rarely used in parliament – and instead called it a fabrication. There was no record of the Hansard of the attorney-general apologising in the way Dutton claimed, and Dreyfus said it had not occurred.

“I never thought I’d see the day when a Liberal leader would try to silence a Jew for speaking about antisemitism in the Australian parliament,” Dreyfus said.

“I stand by everything I said yesterday.

“We need to put an end to the wave of antisemitism in this country which is exactly what the government I am a part of has worked tirelessly to do. The only way that will happen is if there is unity and bipartisanship.”

Independent senator Jacqui Lambie called the Coalition’s move against Dreyfus an “absolute disgrace” that sought to divide people. “This is why they won’t win the election: going straight to the nasties already,” Lambie told the ABC on Monday.

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