Paterson says PM must ‘urgently clarify’ overseas link antisemitic attacks
Yesterday, federal police revealed they were investigating whether a spate of antisemitic attacks have been funded by “overseas actors” using cryptocurrency.
Earlier this morning, the shadow home affairs and cybersecurity minister, James Paterson, called on the prime minister to “urgently clarify” what he knows and what action will be taken. He wrote in a post to X:
It is a gravely serious claim to suggest foreign actors may be behind the spate of terror attacks targeting the Jewish community. The PM must urgently clarify what he knows about it and what action he will take to address it.
Paterson is due to speak on ABC RN later this morning – we’ll bring you those comments when he speaks.
Anthony Albanese is also due to address reporters in Parramatta today, about 8.15am AEDT. We’ll bring you the latest here in the blog – there are sure to be questions asked around this.
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On 11 January, police allege the man attempted to set a building alight, with offensive graffiti also allegedly sprayed on the building.
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Detectives arrested a 33-year-old man after search warrants were executed overnight at two addresses on Pyrmont Bridge Road, Camperdown.
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The man was initially taken to St Vincent’s Hospital under police guard, according to police, but on release was taken to Surry Hills police station and charged with destroying property using fire, having goods suspected of being stolen and cultivating a prohibited plant.
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Police said during the search they seized a number of items for further examination.
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The man has been refused bail to appear at Downing Centre local court today.
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Police said he was the ninth person to be charged under Strike Force Pearl, set up to investigate alleged hate crimes with an antisemitic focus across Sydney’s eastern suburbs.
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Yesterday, federal police revealed they were investigating whether a spate of antisemitic attacks have been funded by “overseas actors” using cryptocurrency.
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Earlier this morning, the shadow home affairs and cybersecurity minister, James Paterson, called on the prime minister to “urgently clarify” what he knows and what action will be taken. He wrote in a post to X:
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It is a gravely serious claim to suggest foreign actors may be behind the spate of terror attacks targeting the Jewish community. The PM must urgently clarify what he knows about it and what action he will take to address it.
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Paterson is due to speak on ABC RN later this morning – we’ll bring you those comments when he speaks.
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Anthony Albanese is also due to address reporters in Parramatta today, about 8.15am AEDT. We’ll bring you the latest here in the blog – there are sure to be questions asked around this.
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Emily Wind here, signing on for blogging duties. Thanks to Martin for kicking things off for us – I’ll be taking you through our rolling coverage for most of today.
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As always, you can reach out with any tips, questions or feedback via email: emily.wind@theguardian.com. Let’s go.
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University heads will be confronted over hate on campus as Australia struggles through a crisis of antisemitism, AAP reports.
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Vice-chancellors from the University of Sydney, the Australian National University, the University of Queensland and Western Sydney University, alongside members of the student and educators’ unions, are due to front a federal inquiry on the topic when it resumes today.
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With university students set to return in a matter of weeks, the institutions have acknowledged an increase in antisemitism and committed to prevent its occurrence on campus with education and disclosure initiatives.
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Western Sydney University’s submission said:
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We support freedom of speech but draw the line at hate speech.
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A child has died in hospital in Western Australia after being crushed by a falling parking meter stored in a museum courtyard.
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The five-year-old boy was seriously injured last week at Bunbury Museum and Heritage Centre south of Perth.
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He died two days later, police said in a statement yesterday.
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The incident happened during an environmental education school holiday program run by the state’s biodiversity and conservation department.
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Paramedics were called to the scene about 10.30am and transported the boy in a critical condition to Bunbury hospital.
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He was later airlifted to Perth children’s hospital.
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The City of Bunbury’s chief executive, Alan Ferris, said the organisaton was “heartbroken”.
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WorkSafe is investigating the incident and police will prepare a report for the coroner.
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Every public school child would receive an $800 “back to school” payment and fees and charges would be abolished under a suite of election announcements to be announced by the Greens in Brisbane today.
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The $800 payment, to be distributed to students enrolled in primary and secondary schools from 1 July, is estimated to cost $7.6bn to 2028 and would be spent on out-of-pocket costs like uniforms, technology and school supplies.
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Additional funding of $2.4bn over forward estimates would also be distributed to public schools to abolish public school fees, charges and contributions, estimated to have risen by 20.58% from 2021 to 2022.
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The Greens said the policy was the latest in a suite of “Robin Hood reforms” that would be put on the table in the instance of a minority parliament.
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Greens plan an $800 ‘back to school’ payment for students”,”caption”:”The Greens plan an $800 ‘back to school’ payment for students.”,”credit”:”Photograph: Dean Lewins/AAP”}},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
The Greens leader, Adam Bandt, will make the announcement at Coorparoo state school in Brisbane on Tuesday, alongside the Greens spokesperson for primary and secondary education, Senator Penny Allman-Payne, and Griffith MP Max Chandler-Mather.
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The Greens were reduced to one seat in Queensland’s state election in October, placing pressure on the party to maintain its three federal seats when voters hit the polls later this year.
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Bandt said the cash boost would be funded via the Greens’ planned “big corporations tax”. He said:
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\n
Parents are forking out thousands on ‘voluntary’ fees, uniforms and out-of pocket costs, but meanwhile one in three big corporations pays no tax. We can’t keep voting for the same two parties and expecting a different result. If Brisbane voters return their Greens MPs, they can keep Peter Dutton out and get Labor to act on the cost-of-living crisis.
\n
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Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer with some of the best overnight stories before Emily Wind takes the reins.
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Sydney’s Jewish community is in shock after the latest antisemitic attack in the city targeted a childcare centre in Maroubra and left people fearful about their safety. Since late November, there have been six major antisemitic incidents in Sydney and one in Melbourne, five of those involving arson. Yesterday federal police revealed they were investigating whether the attacks have been funded by “overseas actors” using cryptocurrency.
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It comes as vice-chancellors from some of Australia’s leading universities front a federal inquiry on antisemitism today.
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The Greens leader Adam Bandt is on the pre-election trail this morning and is due to visit a school in Brisbane to promote his party’s new policy of giving every public school child an $800 “back to school” payment. The party would also abolish other fees and payments faced by parents under a suite of announcements to be announced today. More coming up.
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A young boy has died in Western Australia after being crushed by a falling parking meter. The five-year-old was on an education trip to a museum in Bunbury south of Perth last week when the parking meter, which was being stored in a courtyard, fell on him. More details coming up.
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Key events
PM says its ‘unclear who or where’ payments are coming from in relation to antisemitic attacks
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, is speaking to reporters in Parramatta.
Taking questions, he was asked about news the AFP is investigation potential foreign interference into antisemitic attacks in Australia, and said it’s importance the AFP are allowed to do their job:
Those investigations are ongoing. I’m reluctant to say anything that compromises those investigations, but it is important that people understand where some of these attacks are coming from, and it would appear as the AFP commissioner said yesterday that some of these are being perpetrated by people who don’t have a particular issue, aren’t motivated by an ideology, but are paid actors. Now it’s unclear who or where the payments are coming from.
Burke says AFP has ‘very deliberate reasons’ for what they do and don’t disclose publicly
Tony Burke was also asked if he had been personally briefed after the AFP said it was investigating whether the spate of antisemitic attacks had been funded by “overseas actors” using cryptocurrency.
Burke declined to go into what he is and isn’t briefed on. But he responded to an earlier interview by James Paterson on ABC RN (see earlier blog posts) and said the AFP had “very deliberate reasons” for what they do and don’t reveal to the public.
They operate independently, as they should, but my only interest in what they put out is that they make decisions that are designed to advance investigations.
And you know, I’m not able to add to anything that that’s been put out there, but I certainly would not join in what I thought was a surprising and potentially naive call from Mr Patterson, just randomly saying, ‘oh, we need more information on this.’ They should put out the information that they think helps with the investigation. That’s how the Australian Federal Police should operate, and how they do.
Burke says government focused on ‘action rather than meetings’
Circling back to Tony Burke’s interview on ABC RN:
Asked why it took so long for the federal government to convene national cabinet on antisemitism, Burke repeated earlier remarks from the PM that the government’s priority was on “taking actions rather than having meetings”.
The principal challenges that we’ve seen have been in NSW and Victoria, you would have seen there have been joint statements that have been made with those jurisdictions. There’s a whole lot of cooperation and work that’s happening across jurisdictions. It’s the action that was the priority.
Man charged for allegedly trying to set fire to Sydney synagogue
NSW police have charged a man for allegedly attempting to set a synagogue on fire in Newtown, in Sydney’s inner west, earlier this month.
On 11 January, police allege the man attempted to set a building alight, with offensive graffiti also allegedly sprayed on the building.
Detectives arrested a 33-year-old man after search warrants were executed overnight at two addresses on Pyrmont Bridge Road, Camperdown.
The man was initially taken to St Vincent’s Hospital under police guard, according to police, but on release was taken to Surry Hills police station and charged with destroying property using fire, having goods suspected of being stolen and cultivating a prohibited plant.
Police said during the search they seized a number of items for further examination.
The man has been refused bail to appear at Downing Centre local court today.
Police said he was the ninth person to be charged under Strike Force Pearl, set up to investigate alleged hate crimes with an antisemitic focus across Sydney’s eastern suburbs.
Burke says Israeli claim Australia slow to act on antisemitism ‘simply not right’
The home affairs minister, Tony Burke, has been speaking with ABC RN about the government’s response to antisemitism.
He was asked about comments from Israel’s deputy foreign minister that Australia has been too slow to act, and listed a number of actions the government had made to date.
With respect to to those comments, the comment that this government is somehow waiting is simply not right. Australia never had an antisemitism envoy. We now have an antisemitism envoy, and I talk and work with Jillian Segal very, very closely.
Is the fact antisemitic attacks are still occurring evidence that what the government is doing is not working? Burke said he didn’t accept that:
I gave you the list because you played me an audio of a deputy minister claiming that we hadn’t acted, so I went through a series of actions, because that claim is simply not right. There is no doubt that we are dealing with one of the oldest forms of bigotry that there is and the fight against antisemitism never stops.
Birmingham on Trump move to withdraw from Paris agreement and WHO
Turning to the United States, Simon Birmingham was asked about Donald Trump’s move to withdraw from the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Paris climate agreement.
How should western nations approach a second Trump presidency? And is there a responsibility for Australia to speak out when actions, such as this, are taken that really weaken our global cooperation in big pillars of foreign affairs?
Birmingham said “nobody should be surprised by many of the steps taken” by Trump, because this is what he said he would do as president.
From an Australian perspective, the shadow minister said, there were two things to manage:
Our equities with the United States – our closest security alliance partner – and our equities with other countries around the world. And it’s important we do manage both of those …
But, of course, continue also to work with our valued partners around the rest of the world in areas of important cooperation and collaboration such as the tackling of HIV, the tackling of tuberculosis, the types of things that we do when near neighbours like Papua New Guinea do important work on that [and are] aided by some of the work at the World Health Organisation.
Birmingham asked if earlier national cabinet meeting would have prevented rise in antisemitism
The shadow foreign minister, Simon Birmingham, spoke with ABC News Breakfast earlier this morning, as the Coalition continues to criticise the government for its response to antisemitism in Australia.
Asked if it was realistic to assume an earlier national cabinet could have prevented this rise in antisemitism, Birmingham said there were “a number of steps” that could have been taken:
There’s of course the type of moral leadership and language that is essential. But there are also some of the practical things. And the reason for seeking a national cabinet meeting was to engage the states and territories – to make a single national value statement to our Jewish community and to all Australians about that type of respect that’s necessary to stamp out antisemitism.
But also, because the states and territories are the leads in law enforcement, to ensure the coordination of those efforts …
Of course also, that civic leadership, that national leadership, by all of Australia’s heads of government [is needed] to make clear that this should not be occurring in the first place.
‘It’s a matter for Peter Dutton’: Patterson on Coalition shadow cabinet reshuffle
James Paterson was asked if he is interested in taking on the role of foreign affairs spokesperson within the shadow cabinet, amid the retirement of Simon Birmingham.
A Coalition shadow cabinet reshuffle has been due for some time. Paterson told ABC RN:
Obviously, to [opposition leader] Peter Dutton, I’m happy to serve in any role that he would like me to do. There is a lot of work to do.
And frankly, all the national security portfolios, [we should] clean up the mess of this government. Whether it’s foreign affairs, defence or home affairs, and I’m very honoured to have the role that I already have under Peter Dutton’s leadership, and happy to continue in that, but it’s a matter for him.
Paterson says ‘serious penalties’ needed on antisemitism
James Paterson said that out of yesterday’s national cabinet, he would have liked to see a more combined response from state and federal police – pointing to the Coalition’s call for mandatory minimum sentences:
Serious penalties, like mandatory minimum sentences, would have sent a much stronger signal.
He criticised the online database announced by the government yesterday and said he was “not sure how” this would act as a deterrent.
Australians deserve more information about ‘overseas actors’ possibly linked to antisemitic attacks – Paterson
The shadow home affairs and cybersecurity minister, James Paterson, has been speaking with ABC RN about the recent spate of antisemitic attacks and the response from the federal government.
He said it was “undeniably true” the government had been slow to act, saying it took the PM 14 months to convene a national cabinet meeting on antisemitism.
It was only yesterday, after months and months of pressure and other appeals – including from the antisemitism envoy Jillian Siegel – that the prime minister caved in, basically dragged kicking and screaming, into convening a national cabinet.
On reports that federal police are investigating whether the spate of antisemitic attacks has been funded by “overseas actors” using cryptocurrency, Paterson said this was a “gravely serious claim”.
I think the Australian people are entitled to more information from the prime minister today about what he knows about this, when he was briefed about it, and what action the government is taking about us.
Paterson said a claim like this would “make it the most serious domestic security crisis in peacetime, in Australia’s history, and will cause incredible alarm within the Jewish community”.
So a lot more information is required about this claim, and a lot more comfort needs to be given about what is being done in response to it. You cannot put information out this partially, as has been done so far.
Accusations government was slow to act on antisemitism ‘unfair’ – Clare
The education minister, Jason Clare, also spoke with Sunrise, where he defended the government’s response to antisemitism.
The host noted that national cabinet met yesterday and announced an electronic database to track antisemitic crime. But was the government too slow to act?
Clare was this was “unfair criticism” and that within two weeks of 7 October 2023, the government allocated $25m to the Jewish community for more security at schools, preschools and synagogues.
We’ve also introduced legislation to criminalise hate speech, and we’ve set up police task forces at a national level, as well as at a state level. Some people have already been arrested … But there’s obviously more morons out there and that’s why we need more police.
Clare said the idea that people overseas might be paying criminals in Australia to perpetrate antisemitic attacks was “truly terrifying”.
Ultimately, if this is going to stop, we’ve got to hunt down the criminals that are doing this and lock them up.
Rabbi says recent antisemitic attacks have to be ‘taken very seriously’
Rabbi Zalman Goldstein spoke on the Today Show earlier, live from the Maroubra synagogue in Sydney, near the childcare centre that was targeted with antisemitic graffiti and set alight this week.
He said it “means a lot” to the Jewish community that the PM convened national cabinet to address antisemitism, because the recent attacks have to be “taken very seriously”.
We definitely welcome that and hopefully we’ll see some real results and that these attacks will just finally stop.
He said that last night, a huge turnout of people came to the Maroubra synagogue to “pray, to sing, to get strength and courage”.
What the perpetrators wanted to accomplish was to make us scared. They weren’t successful … We hope that the law enforcement will find the perpetrators and will finally bring an end to this.
Hume says there is ‘no Coalition position’ to take same route as Trump on gender
The shadow finance minister, Jane Hume, also appeared on Sunrise and fielded questions on whether the Coalition would follow Donald Trump in recognising only two genders.
Hume said it wasn’t an issue that was being raised with her or Peter Dutton, and that people were focused on the cost of living.
I think Donald Trump will create a lot of issues that people debate around the world. I’m not focused on this one.
Asked if she agreed with her Coalition colleagues Matt Canavan and Barnaby Joyce, who backed the move by Trump, Hume said:
It’s not an issue to keep me awake at night. This is not an issue that mainstream Australians are talking to me about … There is no Coalition position to take the same route as Donald Trump.
