Opposition leader takes fierce personal swipe

Former prime minister John Howard last week specifically slammed Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Wong, criticizing Wong’s decision not to visit Israeli communities targeted by the Hamas terrorist attacks of October 7, 2023, during a trip to Israel last year.

Since then the Coalition has become increasingly critical of Labour’s response to the Bondi terror attack, going after the prime minister for being too slow to act on antisemitism. A Resolve poll conducted for this imprint found that almost half of voters think the government’s response to the Bondi attack was poor.

Labor Chancellor of the Exchequer Katy Gallagher said she was shocked by the tenor of the political debate.

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“I am surprised that the opposition has this view and approach. I cannot think of another time in the history of this country when such a terrorist incident has occurred… the opposition has chosen to take the path it has taken this week,” he said.

“I think in almost every instance you’ll see the opposition trying to work with the government. That’s not the approach, and I think that’s extremely unfortunate.”

Ley visited the Bondi memorial several times last week, where he spent time speaking to grieving and angry community members.

He also noted that Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was not in Bondi. The Prime Minister was booed by the crowd on Sunday night when he attended a ceremony to mark one week since two gunmen killed 15 innocent people at an event celebrating Hanukkah.

Albanese said on Monday he understood why people were angry and apologized for what Australian Jews had experienced.

Gallagher defended Albanese’s leadership on Monday. “I spent every day with the prime minister. I think last week I saw him not only leading the country, but leading the National Security Committee and the response,” he said.

“And I think he did an incredible job in very, very difficult circumstances.”

Before Ley’s spray, Wong outlined actions the government had taken to tackle antisemitism – such as blocking hate speech, criminalizing the sharing of personal information and banning the Nazi salute – but acknowledged it needed to do more.

“Last week I said we need to do more, and we are, which is why we’ve announced a stronger package of legal reforms to crack down on those spreading hatred, division and radicalisation,” he told ABC Radio National.

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Asked about criticism of his trip to Israel, which has been echoed by Coalition MPs as well as Howard, Wong said: “I regret the way people have experienced it.

“I can tell you that instead of meeting hostage families, instead of meeting people who had lost their children, their fathers, or were waiting to hear from them.

“I am acutely aware of the oppression that Jewish people have experienced for thousands of years. And as someone who has fought for an inclusive Australia my entire life, I am deeply saddened to see the prejudice and hatred this act demonstrates.”

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