Prime Minister Albanese’s choice to use a change in the official terror alert level to air political grievances is both divisive and irresponsible.
The change of Australia’s official terror alert level from “possible” to “probable” needed to be handled with care.
Instead, the Prime Minister used this announcement to dismiss well-founded community concerns and conflate them with a rise in the terror threat level, while minimising the real threats created by far-right agitators.
The director-general of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation made it very clear that the threat level has no direct link to what is occurring in the Middle East.
We have seen ill-defined concerns about “terrorism” previously used to divide the community and deny people their civil liberties for short-term political gain.
To ensure that this does not happen again clear and focused statements are necessary. Statements that focus on the causes of unrest and the practical and meaningful steps politicians can take to address them. Instead, the Prime Minister chose to make sweeping generalisations and conflations that place politics above leadership.
Senator David Shoebridge, Greens Spokesperson for Multiculturalism and Justice said: “It was deeply irresponsible for Prime Minister Albanese to use this moment as a platform to air his political grievances and conflate good people concerned with specific actions of his government with far-right conspiracy theorists.
“So many communities right now feel like the Government is not listening to them, not acknowledging the pain they are experiencing and failing to enact policy that addresses these issues.
“Dismissing people’s well-founded concern about Australia’s role in the genocide in Gaza and insinuating that these concerns are somehow associated with a rise in terrorism risk levels will only further divide the community and doesn’t keep us safe.
“In the United Kingdom overnight, far-right thugs are on the march – attacking immigrants and burning hotel housing for people seeking asylum – after years of politicians denying refugees basic rights and dehumanising migrants. Far-right agitators are also trying to bring hate to Australia, but Anthony Albanese tried to use this opportunity to attack people pushing for peace.
“The claim from Prime Minister Albanese that his Government has no role in “what is occurring in the Middle East” is blatantly false. The Government allows the export of military equipment to Israel, including parts of the F35 fighter jet used to bomb Gaza, and has contracts with Israeli weapons companies, such as Elbit, while refusing to sanction the extremist Netanyahu government for its war crimes or recognise Palestine. This is the basis for the community’s legitimate concerns.
“All countries have a role in stopping genocide, apartheid and occupation, as the International Court of Justice has made clear. Maintaining a two-way arms trade with the State of Israel, refusing to expel the Ambassador and not sanctioning Israeli leadership is a choice by the Government to ignore its obligations.”
