Australians want a unified response to the Bondi attack
Australians are looking for reassurance from political leaders in the wake of the Bondi massacre, not partisan point-scoring, a leading pollster says.
Hopes of a bipartisan response to the killing of 15 people by two gunmen at a Jewish festival in Sydney have evaporated as the federal opposition takes aim at a government that has failed to stamp out antisemitism.
According to the Resolve poll published in Nine newspaper, the net performance rating of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who was also strongly criticized by the Jewish community, dropped 15 points to minus nine following the massacre.
His net favorability rating fell 14 points to minus five.
Opposition Leader Sussan Ley’s performance rating fell seven points to minus-four, while her approval rating fell from eight to one after she made politically harsh comments against Labor and Mr Albanese.
“Australians don’t want a partisan political debate on this issue; they want a united response, one that reassures them they will be safe,” pollster Kos Samaras told AAP.
But he said the jury was still out on whether people would view Mr. Albanese as someone who had done enough to protect them from hate groups.
“If the government deals with these groups quickly, it will go a long way to convincing Australians that the response is proportionate to events,” Mr Samaras said.
Ms Ley defended her criticism, saying she had not apologized for defending the Jewish community and would continue to press for a royal commission and stronger action.
“I will not tolerate the empty rhetoric and weak response of the Albanian government. I am angry that they have failed this society,” he said.
Mr Albanese pushed back, noting that previous crises such as the Port Arthur massacre had been met with bipartisan backlash.
“In my view, this is a time when partisanship at any level should not be appropriate,” he said.
Mr Samaras said Australia was not like the US, with the majority of people supporting gun reform and not wanting to see partisan theatre.
He said Ms Ley and the coalition might seek advice from former Liberal prime minister Scott Morrison on mistakes he had made during the pandemic.
“He made this a partisan exercise in the middle of an existential crisis,” he said.
“They’re basically creating more problems for themselves; they haven’t taken the right action yet after the election.”
Mr Albanese invited Israeli President Isaac Herzog to visit Australia after expressing his “deep shock and dismay” at the Bondi attack during a phone call.
The government launched the first phase of the National Hate Crimes and Incidents Database on Wednesday.
Adopted by national cabinet to address the rise in anti-Semitic crimes, it provides information on people charged under hate crime legislation in all Australian jurisdictions to help governments coordinate their response.
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