Anti-Israel advocate Blair Palese campaigns for independent Allegra Spender

A key figure in Allegra Spender’s run in Wentworth has criticised Australia’s ‘support’ of Israel and backs the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement.

Allegra Spender is running for the federal seat of Wentworth as an independent. Picture: Renee Nowytarger / Wentworth Courier

A key figure behind independent candidate Allegra Spender’s tilt in the Sydney seat of Wentworth has criticised Australia’s “shocking support” of Israel and is a proponent of the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement.

Ms Spender, the daughter of the late fashion designer Carla Zampatti, was recruited as the independent candidate in Wentworth late last year by a group called Wentworth Independents.

The electorate has one of the biggest Jewish communities in the country.

Climate activist Blair Palese was listed as one of the four core members of Wentworth Independents when the group outlined its policy platform and desire for a new federal MP.

After Ms Spender was chosen as the candidate, Ms Palese said she was involved in developing policy positions for her.

Ms Palese – who has since campaigned for Ms Spender’s bid to replace Liberal MP Dave Sharma – has spoken on social media about Australia’s “shocking support of Israel in killing unarmed children and civilians”.

On social media, Ms Palese has shared articles and tweets advocating the boycott of the Sydney Festival over a $20,000 grant from the Israeli embassy to support an Israeli-choreographed dance performance.

Ms Palese retweeted a post from a boycott organiser in January celebrating the “fantastic artists” who had withdrawn from the Sydney Festival “for accepting money from apartheid Israel”. A few days earlier, on December 29, Ms Palese shared an article by a Palestinian advocate calling for a boycott of the Sydney Festival in which Israel was described as an “apartheid state” that had committed “crimes against humanity”.

Ms Palese also questioned the Coalition’s hardline on China in 2020 and suggested the government instead address human rights abuses in Israel because the Middle Eastern nation was “still taking Palestinian land”.

“Totally support addressing human rights abuse but this is not what this about,” she tweeted in May 2020 in response to an article about China’s suspension of Australian beef exports.

As far back as 2012, Ms Palese tweeted “Palestine” could formally go to the international criminal court to raise a spotlight on Israel.

Blair Palese has spoken on social media about Australia’s ‘shocking support of Israel in killing unarmed children and civilians’.

Despite Ms Palese’s role in the search for an independent candidate, campaigning for Ms Spender and helping develop policy, Ms Spender has now distanced herself from Ms Palese while proclaiming her support for Israel and the Jewish community.

“As a representative of Wentworth, as I’m seeking to be, I support the Jewish community and I would need to take that support to Canberra,” she said.

Ms Spender stepped up her campaign to take Wentworth on Monday, appearing at a “Truth and Trust” Q&A with former ABC journalist Kerry O’Brien and ex-independent MP Cathy McGowan just days before the election is called.

Before Ms Spender’s confirmation as a candidate, Ms Palese also posted an appeal for independent candidate nominations on her Facebook page with an image of an ad that said “Are you Wentworth’s next MP?”.

“We’re reaching out in all ways to ensure we find the best possible independent candidate for Wentworth,” she said in the November 3 post.

Image taken from social media accounts belonging to Blair Palese. Palese (C) played a key role in selecting Allegra Spender as a candidate for Wentworth.

“If you’re interested, game to support by donating or volunteering and live in Wentworth, head to wentworthindependents.org.”

Ms Spender said while Ms Palese was part of Wentworth Independents, she was not part of the Allegra Spender campaign.

Wentworth Independents has registered both the domain name of Ms Spender’s campaign website and her campaign company with the corporate regulator.

“Blair is not part of my campaign team and I didn’t meet her until after I decided to run,” Ms Spender said. “I was approached by Lyndell Droga and Lyndell is the person I worked with.

“ (Palese) was part of Wentworth Independents.”

Ms Spender said she strongly opposed the BDS movement and would work to strengthen ties -between Australia and Israel. Her position on Israel did not arise during early conversations about her candidacy, Ms Spender said, with her policy platform mainly focused on climate change.

“The Jewish community is a really important part of Wentworth,” she said.

As recently as March 21, Ms Palese tweeted a photo of Ms Spender speaking at a politics in the pub event and said there had been an “incredible turn out”.

Ms Palese has campaigned for Ms Spender on social media and the streets. There are photos of the climate activist wearing a Vote 1 Allegra Spender shirt in front of a teal campaign poster.

 

Replying on Twitter to a photo of herself campaigning for Ms Spender, Ms Palese on January 22 said: “Working on all policy positions (beyond the core already posted here: allegraspender.com.au/policies) with her team now.”

Ms Palese declined to comment when approached multiple times by The Australian.

Before Ms Spender was selected as the independent candidate, the group reportedly sounded out other high-profile contenders including Chartered Accountants CEO Ainslie van Onselen.

Wentworth, which Mr Sharma won by a margin of 1.3 per cent against former independent MP Kerryn Phelps, could become crucial if either Scott Morrison or Anthony Albanese fails to win a majority at the election and has to turn to independents such as Ms Spender for support.

Other founders of Wentworth Independents, Lyndell and Daniel Droga, donated $20,000 to ¬activist group GetUp in 2019.

Ms Droga, whose husband is Jewish, loaned the Wentworth Independents $50,000, according to the group’s registration as a significant third party lodged with the Australian Electoral Commission. Mr Droga, co-owner of private investment fund BlueLake Partners, said the donations were made to support action on climate change.

According to the last census, 12.5 per cent of the Wentworth population identified as Jewish.

GetUp board member Sara Saleh was one of the organisers of the Sydney boycott.

Ms Spender’s volunteer organiser Tracey Hamilton, who is listed on Ms Spender’s website, is also connected to GetUp.

(L-R) Kerry O'Brien, Allegra Spender and Quentin Dempster pictured at Monday’s election Q&A session in Bondi, eastern Sydney.

Deputy government whip in the Senate James McGrath said in a parliamentary speech that Ms Spender’s bid for Wentworth was being orchestrated by a group linked to organisations that targeted Israel. “Spender is also using campaigners calling themselves the Populares Agency, comprising former GetUp and Labor campaigners,” he said.

“The people of Wentworth need to know that GetUp is increasingly anti-Israel.”

It is understood Ms Hamilton, who did not respond to a request for comment, has never performed paid work for GetUp.

Mr Sharma, a former Australian ambassador to Israel, said he was “staunchly opposed to the BDS movement in all its manifestations”.

“Given the prominent role being played by GetUp and other similar actors in my opponent’s campaign, I believe she must state clearly her own position on this issue,” he said.

Additional reporting: Liam Mendes, Joanne Tran