Peter Dutton's comments after a recent fire ravaged a Melbourne synagogue imply Labor's stance on Gaza has left Australia 'less safe', writes Melissa Marsden.
PRIME MINISTER Anthony Albanese has labelled a suspicious fire at Adass Israel synagogue in Melbourne's Ripponlea “an act of antisemitism”.
Following briefings from Australian Federal Police Commissioner Reese Kershaw and Victoria Police, the Prime Minister said investigations were ongoing but that two people were being hunted for the crime.
The two masked suspects, who were seen actively pouring liquid on the floor of the synagogue by a member of the congregation, remain at large. Questions have been raised about the perpetrators' reasoning (or lack of).
Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ) president Daniel Aghion said:
“This is a tragic day for the Australian Jewish community… There is absolutely no way that any rational person can justify what has happened here today.”
About the recent fire, Ten News First reporter Jack Pirie commented:
“It is believed 'Torah' scrolls, which held significance to the community, were in the building.”
The Torah comprises the texts comprising the Hebrew Bible, stories, laws and poetry that form the basis of Jewish culture.
The Prime Minister said that many of the synagogue’s attendants were Hungarian Holocaust survivors who had looked to the place of worship as “a centre of community activity”.
Melbourne Jewish Rabbi Gabi Kaltmann said the attack had shocked the community:
“To wake up to this news is… frightful.”
Said PM Albanese on ABC Melbourne Radio:
“It's clearly aimed at creating fear in the community.”
Radio host Rafael Epstein questioned the Prime Minister’s language used to describe the attack, saying:
“And you don't worry that labelling it antisemitism is getting ahead of where the police investigation might be?”
Tension within the Jewish community has been rife since the escalation of the conflict between Israeli military forces and Palestinian militant organisations Hamas and Hezbollah.
The Prime Minister stated:
“I think an attack on a synagogue is an act of antisemitism by definition.”
An estimated 60 firefighters and 17 trucks were called to the synagogue at about 4.10 am.
The PM said he had spoken with Federal Member for Macnamara Josh Burns, who said:
“... this is a community that very much revolves around the synagogue.”
Opposition leader Peter Dutton believed the attack was to be expected in the wake of “the rise of anti-Semitism in our communities since October 7 of last year”.
Dutton went a step further than the Prime Minister, suggesting the attack was indicative of a wider problem:
“There are armed guards who are protecting kids at Jewish schools this very day.”
Dutton has been a firm supporter of the Israeli Government:
“Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East and they are a key partner to us.”
Going so far as to invoke former Labor Prime Ministers Bob Hawke and Paul Keating, Dutton said the Prime Minister’s refusal to take a firm stance on the conflict had left Australia “less safe”.
Stated Peter Dutton:
“It’s impossible to imagine that Bob Hawke or Paul Keating or even Kevin Rudd or Julia Gillard would have taken the path that Prime Minister Albanese has.”
Peter Dutton previously criticised former Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser for making “mistakes in bringing some people [here] in the 1970s.”
Last week, Jewish, Palestinian and Muslim communities lodged a complaint to the Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) claiming Peter Dutton has engaged in racial vilification and discrimination.
Representing the community groups, principal solicitor at Birchgrove Legal Moustafa Kheir reportedly said:
'Mr Dutton’s words had normalised anti-Palestinian hate and dehumanising rhetoric... Mr Dutton’s pattern of spreading disinformation to justify the demonisation and oppression of a people facing plausible genocide is not only in poor taste but a violation of human rights.'
The complaint comes in the wake of racist remarks made by Senator Pauline Hanson and a call for an inquiry into parliamentary racism by Greens Senator Mehreen Faruqi and outspoken Senator Lidia Thorpe.
Upon announcing the appointment of former foreign policy advisor to former PM Kevin Rudd and son of Egyptian Coptic parents Peter Khalil as Special Envoy for Social Cohesion in July this year, Anthony Albanese said Australians needed to “cherish” the nation's diversity.
Said the Prime Minister:
“It's a strength of Australia and we can't take it for granted.”
The appointment came in the aftermath of former Labor Party Senator Fatima Payman's criticism of the Government for its response to the escalation in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
A statement released by Anthony Albanese on social media about the synagogue fire said he had 'zero tolerance for antisemitism'.
Melissa Marsden is a freelance journalist and PhD candidate at Curtin University. You can follow Melissa on Twitter @MelMarsden96, on Bluesky @melissamarsdenphd or via Melissa's website, Framing the Narrative.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Australia License
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