Playing a round of beachside tennis in Perth’s Golden Triangle and attending a party fundraiser after a likely terror attack on a synagogue continues Anthony Albanese’s run of poor judgment, delayed decision-making and equivocation on anti-Semitism.
The Prime Minister should’ve jumped on a plane and headed straight to Melbourne instead of practising his backhand at the Cottesloe Tennis Club, being the guest of honour at a Labor fundraising event at Chevron HQ and campaigning in battleground Perth seats.
If that meant skipping a train line opening and organising a senior colleague to meet the Nauruan President, so be it.
Peter Dutton’s visit to the Adass Israel Synagogue before Albanese, which is not the first time the Opposition Leader has front-run the Labor leader, is bad optics for the government. The synagogue, which burnt down early Friday morning, is located in the electorally vulnerable seat of Macnamara, held by Jewish Labor MP Josh Burns.
After days of Labor ministers blaming Dutton and Coalition frontbenchers for stoking division, Albanese on Monday acknowledged the arson attack was now the subject of a terror investigation and launched an AFP-led operation into anti-Semitism that should have happened months ago.
Albanese waited until Monday to convene a meeting of the national security committee of cabinet despite advice the firebombing was a likely terror attack, before holding a Canberra press conference with security chiefs in a bid to reassure Australians he is on the job.
Since Hamas’s murderous attacks against Israelis on October 7, 2023, Dutton and others including NSW Labor Premier Chris Minns have been stronger than the Albanese government in condemning and responding to anti-Semitic incidents and protests.
Speaking to the Jewish community in Sydney on Friday night, Minns said the synagogue attack was “an act of terrorism”, made no mention of Islamophobia and did not reference Gaza in defending Israel as “an amazing oasis, a friend and an ally”.
“I don’t shy away from accepting responsibility of my government to do what needs to be done to confront it. And that means a law presence at Jewish institutions and synagogues,” Minns said.
Albanese’s Perth hit-around is harder to defend by the fact the avid tennis player did not hold a press conference on Saturday or make any move to change his weekend schedule.
In defence of his tennis outing, Albanese said: “I had six appointments on Saturday … after they had concluded, late in the afternoon, I did some exercise – that’s what people do.
“On Saturday morning, I was in a synagogue. I’ve seen some comments in the media about why there wasn’t media coverage there. That was because it was Shabbat and, as people can confirm, photos and electronic information wasn’t available then.”
Federal Labor’s political blame-shifting, which befits an opposition, hit peak ridiculous after Murray Watt suggested Josh Frydenberg, a Jewish Australian leader who happens to be a former Liberal treasurer, was speaking out for “his own political reasons”.
It is time to draw a line in the sand on anti-Semitism.
The fear and concerns of Jewish Australians are real. They have nothing to do with federal Labor’s politically motivated conflation linking anti-Semitism with Islamophobia.
The Albanese government, which has been obsessed by Israel-Palestine UN votes and ceasefires, needs to reverse what Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus on Monday described as “the highest level of anti-Semitism that I’ve experienced in my lifetime”.
Jewish Australians should be able to worship, attend school and feel safe in workplaces without exposure to prejudice. If stronger action is not taken to combat anti-Semitic attacks and protests, a minority of bad actors will continue waging their campaign of hate and terror.
Asked on Monday if anti-Semitism was a bigger threat than Islamophobia, Albanese said “anti-Semitism is a major threat and anti-Semitism has been on the rise”.
Ahead of the 2022 election, Albanese set a high bar for himself. He accused Scott Morrison of doing too many selfies, media stunts, photo-ops and announcements.
“The only thing Scott Morrison does quickly in a crisis is blame someone else,” Albanese said three days before the election.
Leaders’ attributes revealed in The Australian’s Newspoll are a warning sign for Albanese ahead of next year’s election. Only 44 per cent of voters rank Albanese as “decisive and strong”, well behind Dutton on 60 per cent. Albanese, who is deadlocked with Dutton on being “in touch with voters”, is trailing in “experience”, “vision” and “understanding the major issues” attributes.
There are outstanding concerns within Labor ranks over Albanese’s judgment, headlined by his purchase of a $4.3m clifftop home on the NSW Central Coast, handling of the Qantas upgrades scandal and failure to cut through on the government's cost-of-living and housing policies.
While incumbent prime ministers typically take a hit in a term of government, the fact voters are increasingly viewing Dutton as a credible alternative leader will send shivers down the spines of Labor MPs.
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