Politics latest: Criticism of Israel can be anti-Semitic: Dreyfus

Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus says calling out Israel but not holding other countries to the same standard can be a form of anti-Semitism.

Several thousand people gather outside Parliament House in central Melbourne in support of Palestinian. Picture: NewsWire / Andrew Henshaw

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5:22 pm July 9, 2024

Critical to keep Pacific nations in banking system: Jones

Staff writers

Assistant Treasurer Stephen Jones says Australia needs to work with Pacific Island nations so they can "sustain a viable banking system with high levels of security".

This follows Treasurer Jim Chalmers' warning of challenges associated with the withdrawal of investment services in the Pacific and the announcement of extra funding for banking infrastructure there.

"If they don't have a banking system, they don't have a modern economy," Mr Jones told ABC's Afternoon Briefing program on Tuesday.

Mr Jones said banks also had an "obligation to serve community and to serve the region in which we operate," following Bendigo and Adelaide Bank's exit from Nauru.

"I think it's a social licence issue," he said.

"Banks are critical, they have an obligation in this area.

"It is true that over the last decade we've seen a rapid removal of correspondent banking services from the Pacific, faster than any other area in the world.

"It's got to be stopped."

– Lily McCaffrey

1:59 pm July 9, 2024 Highlight

Criticism of Israel can be anti-Semitic: Dreyfus

Jack Quail

Mark Dreyfus has singled out Israel’s detractors who hold the Jewish state to a standard it does not equally apply to other countries, accusing them of engaging in potentially anti-Semitic behaviour.

The comments were made by the Attorney-General, a Jewish MP, at the National Press Club on Tuesday.

Asked if criticism of Israel was anti-Semitic, Mr Dreyfus replied: “It absolutely can be. Not always.”

“I criticise the government of Israel from time to time. I don't think I'm anti-Semitic. Other people criticise the government of Israel, and I don't think they're anti-Semitic.

“But when people are singling out Israel and applying a standard to Israel that they do not apply to other countries, then potentially there's anti-Semitism going on.

“When people deny Israel its right to exist, when people pretend that Israel was not created by the United Nations in 1948, and is absolutely a full member of the United Nations – those sorts of things.”

1:31 pm July 9, 2024

Labor ‘awaiting response’ from Coalition on religious discrimination

Jack Quail

Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus at Parliament House in Canberra. Picture: NewsWire / Martin Ollman

Labor is yet to receive a formal response from the Coalition to draft laws designed to grant protections to LGBT staff and students in faith-based schools, and give specific protections from religious discrimination to faith groups, Mark Dreyfus says.

Speaking at the National Press Club on Tuesday, the Attorney-General argued it was up to the opposition to progress the legislation as faith groups, equality advocates, the Greens and the Coalition themselves demanded the Prime Minister intervene to save the reforms or ditch them entirely.

“We've said right from the start is: we are looking for an enduring reform here,” Mr Dreyfus said.

“I gave to the opposition – to Mr [Peter] Dutton and Senator [Michaelia] Cash back in March – the bills that we hope to bring to the parliament.”

Mr Dreyfus said the government was still awaiting a formal response from the opposition.

“I don't count the public statements that Senator Cash has made as a response because she has actually refused to engage,” he said.

“We are waiting for a line-by-line type of engagement. That is what normally should occur, that is the response that we gave to the former Morrison government when we were in opposition when they brought a bill to the parliament.

“The reason I'm wanting to make sure there is bipartisan approval of what we bring to the parliament is that we don't want a Religious Discrimination Act in Australia that is subject to change on a change of government.”

1:09 pm July 9, 2024

Attorney-General fires warning shot over dirty money

Jack Quail

Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus has fired a warning shot at industry groups and other professional service associations covering lawyers, accountants and financial planners expected to advocate against the imposition of strict new reporting requirements to clampdown on the flow of dirty money into Australia.

Unveiling the regulatory overhaul on Tuesday, Mr Dreyfus argued that hostility to the changes would encourage criminal activity.

“Opposing these reforms means aiding and abetting the criminal abuse of our financial system by drug traffickers, people smugglers, terrorists and those who exploit and abuse children,” Mr Dreyfus told the National Press Club.

“Money laundering is not a victimless crime. We have to act. We cannot afford further delay.

“No legitimate business wants any part in this."

Lobby groups advocating on behalf of professional service professions have resisted further regulation and additional reporting obligations in recent years, citing the additional cost and potential unintended consequences arising from additional compliance.

12:56 pm July 9, 2024 Highlight

Lawyers, real estate agents on hook under new clampdown

Jack Quail

Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus during Question Time. Picture: NewsWire

Real estate agents, lawyers and accountants will be brought under strict new reporting requirements, after Attorney-General Mark Dreyfyus unveiled an overhaul of Australia’s money laundering and counter-terrorism finance legislation to clampdown on the flow of proceeds of crime into Australia.

Speaking at the National Press Club on Tuesday, Mr Dreyfus said the mooted reforms were required as Australia faced a serious risk of exploitation by criminals seeking to launder illicit funds.

“Each year, trillions of dollars are generated from illegal activities such as drug trafficking, tax evasion, people smuggling, cybercrime, and arms trafficking,” Mr Dreyfus said

“And we know that the proceeds from these crimes are used to fund further serious crimes such as terrorism, child abuse and human trafficking.”

Responding to the threats of corruption or illicit financing, Mr Dreyfus said the regulatory overhaul would capture more entities to prevent abuse in the financial system, while also simplifying the reporting regime faced by businesses captured by the reforms.

“We are committed to strengthening the system to prevent perpetrators financing serious crimes like drug trafficking, child abuse, terrorism and organised crime,” he said.

“We want to modernise the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act to ensure it keeps pace with the increasingly digital, instant nature of our global financial system – closing the gaps that we know increasingly sophisticated, professional criminal organisations can exploit.”

12:44 pm July 9, 2024

Coalition welcomes anti-Semitism appointment

Jack Quail

The Coalition has welcomed the appointment of Jillian Segal AO as Australia’s inaugural envoy to combat anti-Semitism in Australia.

In a joint statement, opposition frontbenchers Sussan Ley, Dan Tehan and Sarah Henderson praised Anthony Albanese for selecting Segal for the position, but demanded stronger immediate action from the government to combat anti-Semitism across Australia.

“This appointment is acceptance by the Albanese government that antisemitism is a real and present threat in communities across Australia,” they said.

A critical first step, the trio said, would be to immediately establish a judicial inquiry into anti-Semitism on university campuses, a measure which the Coalition has been advocating for over several months.

“After many months of Labor failing to act on the alarming rise in antisemitism on university campuses, we urge the Prime Minister to listen to key Jewish organisations and support the Coalition's proposal for this inquiry," they said.

“The Albanese government's response – a university racism study by the Australian Human Rights Commission which won't hand down its final report until after the federal election – is woefully inadequate.”

12:13 pm July 9, 2024

Greens spreading misinformation on Gaza conflict: PM

Jack Quail

Anthony Albanese has slammed comments made by Greens senator Mehreen Faruqi who on Sunday refused to say whether she believed Hamas should be dismantled.

Speaking on the ABC’s Insiders program, the Greens deputy leader also argued it was up to the Palestinian people as to whether the listed terrorist organisation could form government if it was recognised as a sovereign state.

But announcing the appointment of Jillian Segal as the government’s inaugural special envoy on anti-Semitism on Tuesday, the Prime Minister said Ms Faruqi’s comments made it unclear as to where the minor party stood on Israel’s right to exist.

“If a senator is asked: Do they support a terrorist organisation? [Senator Faruqi] acknowledged it was a terrorist organisation and she said she didn't seek to change that,” Mr Albanese told reporters.

“She [said Hamas] should continue to play a role and somehow that was up to someone else.

"It seems to me that it was pretty clear what she should have answered, which is that Hamas has no role.”

The Prime Minister also accused the Greens of spreading misinformation regarding the Israel-Gaza conflict to curry political favour.

“Australia is not a big player in the Middle East. You would think from some of the campaigns that have occurred that Australia is directly involved,” Mr Albanese said.

“Some of the misinformation that has been perpetrated by the Greens, for example, about defence issues, is simply wrong, that is bad.

“But what is really bad is that they know that it is wrong. They know it is wrong and they continue to spread it.”

11:54 am July 9, 2024

PM silent on court claims about Higgins, Sharaz 'plan'

Joanna Panagopoulos

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has refused to comment on whether he understood Penny Wong, Tanya Plibersek and Katy Gallagher were fed false information by Brittany Higgins and David Sharaz, as part of a larger plan to destroy the career of Liberal senator Linda Reynolds.

Those allegations were part of Senator Reynolds’ case against Ms Higgins in the Western Australian Supreme Court, where she is suing her former employee over a series of social media posts she says defamed her.

Asked whether he agreed that had occured, he said it was "inappropriate to comment" given it was before the courts.

"I don't need to have Jillian (Segal)'s legal qualifications to know why it is inappropriate to comment and I'm sure you know that that is the answer," he said.

The court documents, obtained by The Australian, also claimed Mr Sharaz organised meetings between Ms Higgins and Labor members of parliament to discuss her rape allegations, including then opposition leader Mr Albanese and Tanya Plibersek, as well as former Liberal prime minister Malcolm Turnbull and former Labor prime minister Kevin Rudd.

Higgins is expected to defend claims made by Senator Reynolds.

11:51 am July 9, 2024 Highlight

Anti-Semitism a threat to entire nation, says special envoy

Jack Quail

Australia’s inaugural anti-Semitism envoy Jillian Segal has voiced her optimism that society can address the rising scourge of anti-Semitism and rebuild social cohesion after Anthony Albanese unveiled her appointment to the position.

Speaking alongside the Prime Minister at the Sydney Jewish Museum on Tuesday, Ms Segal expressed she was “humbled and privileged” to serve in the newly created role, and spoke of the threat anti-Semitism posed to the Australian community at large.

“History, and the Jewish experience throughout history – including the Holocaust … tells us, as we've heard, that that needs to be constantly remembered, we need to be vigilant to protect our tolerant and peaceful way of life.

“Anti-Semitism erodes all that is good and healthy in a society. As such, it poses a threat not just to the Jewish community, but to our entire nation. Anti-Semitism is an age-old hatred.”

Ms Segal spoke of the significant rise in Anti-Semitism following the October 7 attacks, which had risen seven times in the immediate aftermath, which had since fallen to approximately five times above previous levels.

“This is not the Australia we want. This is not the Australia we expect,” Ms Segal said.

“Unfortunately, there is no single answer to the perennial problem of anti-Semitism. But the creation of this role shows a determination by the government to confront this evil and to ensure that it does not erode the goodness that exists in our society.”

11:30 am July 9, 2024

Peak Jewish body welcomes special envoy appointment

Jack Quail

The peak national body of the Jewish community has praised the federal government’s decision to appoint a Special Envoy for anti-Semitism, which will help to develop "targeted … policies, legislative proposals and programs to address anti-Semitism".

The Executive Council of Australian Jewry also expressed strong support for the appointment of its immediate past president Jillian Segal AO to the position.

“We commend Prime Minister Albanese and his government for taking this initiative in response to the unprecedented surge of anti-Semitism that has occurred in Australia and other western countries since the atrocities committed by Hamas in Israel, and the war started by it, on 7 October 2023," ECAJ President Daniel Aghion KC said.

“These developments have threatened the safety and security not only of Australia’s Jewish community but also of Australia as a whole and its future as a peaceful, free, cohesive and tolerant multicultural society.

“A Special Envoy will be able to investigate, and report to government on the nature, extent and impact of anti-Semitism in Australia, and will make recommendations to counteract it.

“We have seen antisemitism rear its ugly head on Australian campuses, in schools, in the media and social media, in the arts and culture sector and other parts of society.

“The Special Envoy will provide the federal government with the research, evidence and advice it needs to inform the development of targeted and co-ordinated policies, legislative proposals and programs which will address antisemitism, and counteract the harms and social divisions it causes, and assist with corresponding efforts by State and Territory governments."