PM stares down Hard Left

Original article by Ben Packham, James Dowling
The Australian – Page: 1 & 5 : 11-Feb-26

Israeli President Isaac Herzog has praised the federal government’s efforts to combat anti-Semitism; however, he said the test will be in these measures’ full implementation and their outcome. Herzog also stated that he is on a mission to improve Israel’s relations with the federal government after a number of disagreements, including his nation’s right to defend itself. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has urged the people involved in violent protests against Herzog on Monday night to "turn the temperature down"; he told parliament that Herzog deserves to be treated with respect during his official visit, and stated that he will not walk away from his support for Herzog’s presence in Australia.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

Royal commission at risk over secrecy concerns

Original article by Ronald Mizen
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 5 : 10-Feb-26

Attorney-General Michelle Rowland told Senate estimates on Monday that $131.1 million had been allocated to the Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion. It comes as Rowland has agreed to meet with Teal independent Allegra Spender to discuss Spender’s concerns about current or former intelligence agents who may want to give evidence to the commission. Spender, whose seat of Wentworth takes in Bondi Beach, the site of the December massacre that saw 15 people killed, wants stronger protections for those agents, due to concerns that whistleblowers could face jail time for appearing before the commission

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AUSTRALIA. ATTORNEY-GENERAL’S DEPT, AUSTRALIA. ROYAL COMMISSION ON ANTISEMITISM AND SOCIAL COHESION

Herzog issues warning to Australia, and the world: Hatred of Jews never ends with the Jews

Original article by Stephen Rice, Lachlan Leeming
The Australian – Page: 1 & 5 : 10-Feb-26

Israeli’s President Isaac Herzog visited the Bondi Pavilion on Monday, where he laid a wreath and stones that he had brought from Jerusalem and met survivors of the Bondi Beach terrorist attack and relatives of the 15 victims. He expressed frustration that more was not done to address anti-Semitism in the lead-up to the terrorist attack, and warned that "hatred that starts with the Jews never ends with the Jews". Herzog added that the rise of anti-Semitism is a global emergency, and said that "we must all act to fight against it". Herzog also accused pro-Palestinian protesters of seeking to undermine Israel’s existence, and stressed that his country did not seek the war with Hamas that began with the attack on Israel on 7 October 2023.

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Take this expert advice, PM

Original article by Greg Brown, Sarah Ison
The Australian – Page: 1 & 2 : 7-Jan-26

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese may yield to the growing pressure to hold a federal royal commission into the Bondi Beach terrorist attack. While Albanese has stated that Labor’s priorities are a review of the nation’s intelligence agencies and passing new hate speech and gun control laws, he has expressed willingness to "examine anything else required" in response to the terrorist attack. Sources have indicated that the government may formally announce a national public inquiry within days. Meanwhile, 32 intelligence and security experts have released a joint statement urging the government to hold a royal commission into both anti-Semitism and Islamist extremism.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

Do everything you can, Herzog tells PM

Original article by Noah Yim
The Australian – Page: 5 : 24-Dec-25

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese invited Israeli President Isaac Herzog to visit Australia in 2026 during a telephone call between the two leaders on Tuesday. Herzog has been Albanese’s main point of contact with the Israeli government in recent times, following criticism of him by Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Albanese’s office has released a statement noting that Herzog stressed the need to take action to combat anti-Semitism, extremism and jihadist terrorism in Australia. The Bondi Beach terrorist attack was a key focus of the Christmas messages of both Albanese and Opposition leader Sussan Ley.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

Eyes wide shut on extremist threats

Original article by Geoff Chambers, Janet Albrechtsen
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 24-Dec-25

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has defended his relationship with law-enforcement and intelligence agencies in the wake of the Bondi Beach terrorist attack. However, he has declined to confirm whether Labor has implemented all of the recommendations made in Dennis Richardson’s 2019 review of the legal framework of the national intelligence community. The former head of ASIO will undertake a new review of federal law-enforcement and intelligence agencies as part of the government’s response to the terrorist attack. Meanwhile, a senior law enforcement figure has accused the government of "wilful blindness" on the issue of anti-Semitism and extremism, contending that it had been repeatedly warned of the "growing and foreseeable threat" in the last several years.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

Gun laws fail to quell rising anger

Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 2 : 17-Dec-25

The federal government is attracting growing criticism over its plans for gun controls in the wake of the Bondi Beach terrorist attack. Former prime minister John Howard is concerned that the government is using gun laws as a diversion to deflect attention from its failure to show leadership on the issue of anti-Semitism. He says Labor’s initial response to the 7 October 2023 terrorist attacks in Israel had been "weak and unconvincing"; he contends that some of the anti-Semitism that has been allowed to spread over the last two years may have been prevented if Prime Minister Anthony Albanese had taken a firmer stance from the outset. Queensland’s Premier David Crisafulli supports gun law reform but agrees that cracking down on anti-Semitism must be a priority.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, QUEENSLAND. DEPT OF THE PREMIER AND CABINET

PM ready for the fight against anti-Semitism

Original article by Richard Ferguson, Noah Yim, Rhiannon Down
The Australian – Page: 1 & 2 : 9-Jul-25

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says anti-Semitism is a "scourge" that has no place in Australia. He adds that the federal government will continue to engage constructively with the Jewish community to ensure that it gets the support that it needs. Albanese has also advised that the government’s special envoy Jillian Segal is working on a new strategy to combat anti-Semitism in the wake of the recent attacks on a synagogue and a Jewish-owned restaurant in Melbourne. It is expected to adopt some of the proposals outlined in a 15-point plan released by the Executive Council of Australian Jewry in February. However, Albanese has rejected Opposition leader Sussan Ley’s proposal to convene an emergency meeting of the national cabinet.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, EXECUTIVE COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIAN JEWRY, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA

Sydney nurse Sarah Abu Lebdeh charged over kill Israelis video

Original article by Stephen Rice
The Australian – Page: Online : 26-Feb-25

NSW detectives from Strike Force Pearl have arrested former Bankstown Hospital nurse Sarah Abu Lebdeh several weeks after she and a male colleague threatened to kill Israeli patients. The 26-year-old has been charged with three commonwealth offences, including threatening violence to a group, the use of a carriage service to threaten to kill, and use of a carriage service to menace, harass or offend. Police Commissioner Karen Webb says the charges have been laid following a lot of hard work, as well as legal advice received from the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions on Tuesday. Ahmad Rashad Nadir has yet to be charged over the antisemitic rant that was recorded by Israeli social media influencer Max Veifer.

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Albanese confident US would come to Australia’s defence in event of attack

Original article by Kate Lyons
The Guardian Australia – Page: Online : 25-Feb-25

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese discussed issues such as Australia’s alliance with the US, the cost-of-living crisis and social cohesion in a special edition of the ABC’s Q&A program on Monday night. Amongst other things, Albanese expressed confidence that Australia could rely on the US to help defend the nation if it were to come under attack; however, he also emphasised the need for Australia to invest in its own defence. Albanese described anti-semitism as "abhorrent and completely unacceptable", in response to criticism from an audience member regarding his perceived lack of action against people who have been targeting Jewish Australians.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET