Senior federal minister Murray Watt alleges the firebombing of a Melbourne synagogue on Friday “looks like terrorism” but security agencies are yet to confirm it, as Peter Dutton blames the government for the conditions which led to the attack.
The workplace relations minister confirmed Australia’s security agencies are examining the circumstances of the attack to determine whether it should be declared a terrorist act.
“For me personally, it looks like terrorism, but that’s a judgment that’s got to be made by our domestic security agencies, and I know that they’re working on that at the moment,” Watt told Sky News on Sunday.
“But whatever we label it, it is an absolute outrage. It should never have happened and the people responsible have got to be hunted down and pay a price for this.”
The NSW premier, Chris Minns, has announced he is now reviewing the laws around protesting outside places of worship in his state after the attack in the Melbourne suburb of Ripponlea.
Watt’s comments came after the federal opposition leader echoed the comments of the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, in effectively blaming the Albanese government for the synagogue attack with what he said was its inadequate response to the Hamas terrorist attacks on Israel on 7 October lasts year.
Dutton accused Anthony Albanese of setting “the tone” after the 7 October attack by not more forcefully declaring zero tolerance for antisemitism.
“This is an act of terrorism, pure and simple, and I think the prime minister’s deliberate decision to seek political advantage over the course of last 12 months on this issue and play to a domestic audience of Green voters, I think has been deplorable and one of the worst things I’ve ever seen in public life,” Dutton told Sky News on Sunday.
He said that if he wins the next election, he will consider withdrawing Australia from the international criminal court, which has issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu. Dutton said the foreign minister, Penny Wong, “should be ashamed” of the stance Australia has taken on the 7 October attacks and the Gaza conflict.
He accused the prime minister of being unwilling to use the words “terrorist attack” in relation to the synagogue firebombing.
“A very clear message should have been sent at that point, that we have zero tolerance for racism and antisemitism in our country. And I just think these protesters have taken succour from the Labor party approach and the tolerance that the prime minister and Minister Burke and others have demonstrated, and I think it’s left a whole segment of our community living in fear at the moment, which was unnecessary and the leadership should have been demonstrated from day one, but it wasn’t.”
Anthony Albanese is visiting Perth this weekend and met Jewish community members at a synagogue in the seat of Perth on Saturday morning. In relation to Netanyahu’s criticisms of Australia voting for a United Nations resolution calling on Israel to end its occupation of the Palestinian territories, the government noted that only the US, among the Five Eyes intelligence partners, did not support it.
after newsletter promotion
“The Melbourne attack was an outrage,” Albanese said on Saturday. “I want the people responsible caught, charged and to face the full force of the law. Our authorities are working hard to do this and they have my government’s full support. This deliberate antisemitic attack on a place of worship goes against everything we stand for as Australians and everything we have worked hard to build as a nation.”
Watt said it was Dutton who was politicising the Melbourne attack.
“This was an absolutely horrific antisemitic attack that I think all Australians, particularly our leaders, should stand together on,” Watt said. “But of course, as he always does, Peter Dutton chooses to try to politicise it and divide our community, rather than try to bring us together.”
The NSW premier said he was horrified at the attack on the Adass Israel synagogue and had asked his attorney general, Michael Daley, and the NSW Cabinet Office to examine options for restricting protests outside places of worship across his state.
“Being heckled on the way in to observe your faith is not consistent with the principles of a multicultural, multi faith community where all are protected by law from someone stopping them from prayer,” Minns said in a written statement.
“Holding the line isn’t enough. We have to go further and ensure that people’s rights to religious freedom of expression and worship is protected.”
The statement, issued jointly with his attorney general and the multiculturalism minister, Steve Kamper, said the right to peaceful protest does not permit or excuse intimidation or vilification of people based on their faith or religious practice. They said protesting outside places of worship is “inflammatory and provocative”.
