Jessica Page: Silence and indecision allowed anti-Semitism to fester, action is needed now

Australia does not only have a gun problem or a mass migration problem. Both are problematic, if unchecked. The bigger problem is harder to face. Anti-Semitism. Jewish leaders have been sounding the alarm for about two years. The Prime Minister and others either didn’t believe them, or didn’t take it seriously enough, as those fears were drowned out by the louder protests against Israel. It was arguably easier to pontificate about the crisis overseas than tackle the rising levels of race-based hate on home soil. Fears of retribution after the September 11 attacks and the Lindt cafe siege prompted a wave of public support, and Government protection, for Muslim Australians. “Where’s the Jews”, the crowd outside the Sydney Opera House chanted. “We will not let it find so much as a foothold here,” Anthony Albanese said of anti-Semitism. “Australia will always denounce it and reject it utterly, just as we do all forms of racism and prejudice.” He uttered the right words, but they sounded hollow. Riding a train to Ellenbrook and playing tennis in Cottesloe two days after a Melbourne synagogue was fire-bombed was bad optics. Implementing part of anti-Semitism envoy Jillian Segal’s report but dithering over the more controversial recommendations, including screening of migrants, was worse. “We are sad and angry that something that we have been warning about, and that evil was predictable, has been the subject of such insufficient action,” Perth Jewish leader Michael Levitt said. There is no blood on Mr Albanese’s hands. The blood is on the hands of the father and son terrorists who pulled the triggers. But our leaders stand accused of being culpable. And Australians, of all faiths and no faith, deserve answers and deserve better. The 15 innocent Australians who were killed on Sunday were owed a duty of care. We failed them. We cannot fail now. NSW Greens MP Abigail Boyd’s excuse that now is a time for “grieving, not politics” as she attended the Bondi crime scene, but avoided questions, was cowardice. The Greens were one of the parties that exploited the growing divide within Australia for votes, with One Nation on the other side of it while the Labor Government that is meant to represent middle Australia vacated the space. The nation cannot shy away from the hard conversations now. “Australia doesn’t have a gun problem,” Pauline Hanson said. “We have a radical Islam problem.” The Koran is not the only source material misused by purveyors of irrational hate. In State Parliament last week One Nation MP Rod Caddies called mass migration the “elephant in the room” as he moved a motion linking it to Perth’s housing crisis. Greens MP Sophie McNeill described it as “racist fear mongering” to blame migrants for a failure in government policy. WA Premier Roger Cook called it a “nasty, insidious” attack and an attempt to drive division and hatred. Bondi is the devastating proof that the hatred has already taken root. Some of it is home grown. Calls from Andrew Hastie and others within the Coalition for a values test won’t fix it. “We need to differentiate between those that love Australia, our people and our values, and those who hate us,” Mr Hastie said. “The time is right now.” What are Australian values? Mateship, a fair go for all. Both hard to define and easy to take advantage of. A tighter migration net would risk barring people like Bondi hero Ahmed Al Ahmed who arrived from Syria in 2006, became an Australian citizen in 2022 and an Aussie legend on Sunday. Bondi killer Naveed Akram was born and bred in Australia. Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said the father and son, and their legal haul of guns, slipped through the cracks when Naveed Akram was flagged by ASIO six years ago. “Back then he didn’t (display violent ideology),” he said. “In the years that followed, that’s changed.” The intelligence failure must be reckoned with. Gun ownership should be a privilege reserved only for Australian citizens and with caveats. Migration isn’t the problem but screening before and after arrivals is, because resources have not kept up with the numbers. The threat persists, warned Mr Cook. “We must stand united against this form of violence, which is encouraged when we allow extremist behaviour and ideologies to take hold in our community,” he said. WA MPs observed a minute’s silence on Tuesday, as they should. But silence cannot continue, while hate fills the void. Sticks and stones can break bones, but hateful words can lead to hateful deeds. Indecision, in a vain bid to avoid causing offence, allowed anti-Semitism to fester. Action must speak louder than words now. Jessica Page is The West Australian’s State political editor