Albanese says antisemitic ‘cowards’ will be ‘hunted down, locked up’

The Joint Counter-Terrorism Team, which combines state and Commonwealth agencies, has taken over the investigation and assigned more than 100 officers.
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ASIO Director-General Mike Burgess said the national threat level would remain at “probable”, rather than elevated to “expected” as he noted the current level is the same as at the height of the Islamic State caliphate.
“While the caravan matter in New South Wales remains under police investigation, ASIO does not believe there is an ongoing threat to public safety,” he said.
Burgess said: “We have seen a disturbing escalation in the targeting of Jewish interests and a disturbing escalation in the severity and recklessness of the targeting, with general harassment and intimidation moving to the targeting of people and places.”
Albanese said he agreed with suggestions that this was terrorism, saying: “It’s clearly designed to harm people, but it’s also designed to create fear in the community, and that is a very [clear] definition as it comes in.”
Special envoy on antisemitism Jillian Segal.Credit: Kate Geraghty
Segal said the incident was a “chilling reminder that the same hatred that led to the murder of millions of Jews during the Holocaust still exists today”.
“The discovery in Sydney will only heighten the fear and anxiety within the Jewish community,” she said.
“With weekly protests marked by antisemitism, along with threats to property and attacks on places of worship, today’s events are yet another escalation. This hatred must stop.”
Treasurer Jim Chalmers apologised for appearing to downplay the Jewish community’s concerns about antisemitism in television and radio interviews on Thursday in which he said their fears were “not always unfounded”.
His comments offended some members of the Jewish community, who felt he was suggesting their concerns about antisemitism had sometimes been overblown.
“I’ve had that relayed to me and I apologise,” Chalmers said.
“My intention was to share and acknowledge the very real and understandable fears and concerns in the Jewish community in light of recent events.
“I could have and should have expressed that more clearly, and I’m sorry I didn’t.”
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton said Albanese had taken too long to make tackling antisemitism a national priority, saying members of the Jewish community were “completely disgusted with the prime minister’s inaction”.
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“Should we act surprised that has escalated now to an attempted terrorist attack?” Dutton told reporters in Alice Springs.
“No, we shouldn’t. The prime minister needs to show national leadership here to deal with the national crisis, and so far there’s been no sign of it.
The Zionist Federation of Australia said the caravan discovery was “undoubtedly the most severe threat to the Jewish community in Australia to date”.
“The plot, if executed, would likely have resulted in the worst terrorist attack on Australian soil,” the federation said.
“For 16 months, the Jewish community has been warning that unchecked incitement, violent rhetoric, and weak leadership have created the perfect environment for extremism and terrorism to flourish.
“This foiled attack is yet another manifestation of the senseless hatred and violence that continues to target our community.”
Liberal senator Dave Sharma, a former ambassador to Israel, said the response from Australian law enforcement authorities and political leaders to the rise of antisemitism had been “manifestly inadequate”.
“The Labor government needs to address this crisis with the urgency, resources and full legal power that it requires. There can be no more soft-pedalling, equivocation or political pandering in our response,” he said.
“Otherwise, Australia will soon become unrecognisable, a nation where extremist actors are allowed to threaten the life and liberty of our many communities, and no one feels safe.”
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