Weakness drains political capital

Anthony Albanese’s inaction on tackling head-on the scourge of anti-Semitism is draining his personal standing and political capital. The firebombing of a childcare centre in the Sydney eastern suburb of Maroubra is the latest proof of warnings that, left unchecked, acts of anti-Semitic violence would only escalate. By attempting to walk both sides of the street, Mr Albanese has managed to alienate responsible people in both the Jewish and Muslim communities.

Capitulation on the need for national cabinet to form a joint response to the anti-Semitic violence follows a now well-defined pattern for Mr Albanese. It has been another example of the Prime Minister arriving at the obvious course of action after eroding political capital and sending a confusing message through equivocation on the gravity of the situation and what is needed to be done. Mr Albanese has then been led by circumstance to do something that he had sought publicly to avoid. Failure to stand firm from the first display of anti-Jewish protest at the Sydney Opera House before Israel had even responded to the barbaric events of October 7, 2023 has allowed the current situation of widespread domestic, racist-inspired violence to escalate.

Mr Albanese is no doubt as shocked as anyone at the speed with which the anti-Semitic genie has managed to escape the bottle. But there has been no shortage of warnings from members of the Jewish community and elsewhere about where a soft approach would lead. The whole affair reinforces perceptions of the Prime Minister as lacking strength and having an inability to see clearly the dangers that lie before him.