As the New Year rang in, the nation put aside unanswered questions to usher in a fresh new beginning. Australians relaxed and celebrate in a spirit of fun and our in-built sense that this country can overcome anything; with the rest of the world holding their own celebrations.
A Sydney cleric who boasted of his friendship with Islamic State jihadis said it was ‘not illegal’ to be friends with convicted terrorists, spruiking his relationship with ‘brother’ Anjem Choudary, one of Britain’s most notorious extremists.
Chris Minns’s ‘extraordinarily strong’ response to rampant anti-Semitism, and back-to-back high-profile stabbing attacks, illustrated how state leadership could show how to tackle the issues plaguing the heart of the nation.
The government remains ‘deeply concerned’ about Jamal Rifi’s absentia conviction but ‘welcomes’ new legal efforts in Lebanon to overturn the decision amid a chorus of bipartisan support for the Sydney doctor.
Former foreign minister Alexander Downer has decried the ‘tragedy of modern Australia’, which has ‘lost its passion’, as it abandoned policy leadership and followed the pack.
Jamal Rifi’s enforced exile from Lebanon could soon end with his politician brother set to launch legal proceedings, urging judicial leaders to revisit his sibling’s case.
Leading Islamic bodies have condemned an alleged attack on prominent Sydney sheik and Muslim Vote convener Wesam Charkawi, criticising the NSW and federal Labor governments’ ‘silence’.
Former senator Nova Peris has decried rampant ‘un-Australian anti-Semitism’, slamming the government’s failure to properly respond to the ancient hatred as the Jewish community celebrated Hanukkah.
Sydney’s New Year’s Eve celebrations have been given the green light as rail unions dropped work bans set to impact services and gave a ‘formal undertaking’ that December 31 would not be disrupted.
NSW’s top police officer has warned she could order the cancellation of Sydney’s New Year’s Eve fireworks if the rail union carries out its industrial action threat.
Original URL: https://www.theaustralian.com.au/author/alexi-demetriadi/page/5