Interview with Lucy Polkinghorne, NewsDay
15 January 2025
LUCY POLKINGHORNE: Well, to discuss some of the day's top stories, I'm joined live now by the Shadow Finance Minister, Jane Hume. Minister, thank you so much for joining us on the programme this morning. First of all, Anthony Albanese's handpicked envoy on anti-semitism has declared the nation's judiciary is failing Jewish Australians with weak sentences for anti-semitic criminals. And she's calling on the PM to convene National Cabinet to take immediate action. What do you make of Jillian Segal’s comments?
JANE HUME: Lucy, I have extraordinary admiration for Jillian Segal. I think she has been his, she's been Anthony Albanese’s hand picked anti-Semitism envoy, and she's spoken in very strong terms here calling for a National Cabinet. She said that the anti-Semitic behavior that we've seen in Australia has not just grown, but that has been systemic, that it's deliberate and that it is organised, moreover, it is entirely culturally targeted, and that it is going unpunished, that the judiciary has been letting people off without convictions and without sentences. But these are not isolated incidents. We want Anthony Albanese to respond to his hand picked anti-Semitism envoy to convene a National Cabinet. I was very disappointed in his press conference this morning where he said essentially that he thinks that his government has done enough to stamp out this divisive anti-Semitism that has been pervading since October 7 in our country. We've seen a 700% increase in anti-Semitic actions. But if he really wanted to take action now, take a firm stand on anti-Semitism. Anthony Albanese could do it today, not just by calling a national cabinet, he could also call out those that are either turning a blind eye to anti-Semitism or not condemning it, or, in some cases, even propagating it. And that's of course, the Australian Greens political party. If he came out today, Anthony Albanese said that he was going to put the Greens last, that would be a clear sign that he is, in fact, taking a strong stand against anti-Semitism, but we are yet to see that action from Anthony Albanese.
LUCY POLKINGHORNE: And so do you believe there should be mandatory sentencing on attacks on synagogues, which we have seen over several weeks?
JANE HUME: There is nothing that should be off the table to deal with anti-Semitism. That's certainly something that we would consider in government. This has been such an extraordinarily divisive and really upsetting period of time for Jewish Australians, who are frightened in their own homes. I spoke to one couple down in Elsternwick just a few weeks back, who told me that they were seriously considering moving to Tel Aviv because they would be safer there than they would be in their own neighborhoods in Australia. That's not the Australia that I grew up in. That's not the Australia that I want my children to grow up in. Something needs to be done here. A firm stand needs to be taken. Anthony Albanese has been weak on this. He's prevaricated. He's delayed going to visit that the synagogue in Melbourne that was burnt down. There is continued attacks on synagogues in Sydney when Jewish Australians are feeling unsafe, they looked to their government for leadership. Anthony Albanese has been weak on this. He can do so much more.
LUCY POLKINGHORNE: Okay, on another topic today, the PM has also warned Elon Musk not to intervene in our federal election, citing foreign interference laws. Jane, are you worried about Elon’s tweets and his influence on our federal election?
JANE HUME: Well, we want freedom of speech to flourish in Australia and that's on social media as well. But foreign interference is a big call. The Coalition government legislated against foreign interference and foreign donations. We don't want foreigners middling in our electoral system. But at the same time, we don't want to limit freedom of speech. We want debate on political issues. That's a good thing. That's a sign of a healthy democracy.
LUCY POLKINGHORNE: Okay. Finally, it has been around a week since it was revealed the Government had a $7 billion black hole in its Budget. Has there been any more clarity around this from the Finance Minister?
JANE HUME: Unfortunately, no. We have sought clarity from Katy Gallagher, but she hasn't managed to get her story straight. Essentially, the Public Service has expanded by nearly 20%, about 36,000 new public servants, and the wages bill in the Budget has flatlined. But Katy Gallagher has also signed off on an 11%, at least 11% pay increase for public service. Something doesn't add up here. Either the finance minister has a plan to cut the public service, or she has fudged the books. She hasn't given a straight answer on this, and there's a good reason for that, because there is no excuse for dodgy accounting. So we'll certainly be following this up at Senate estimates. If the Government wants to expand the public service, it's at least going to have to account for it in an honest way.
LUCY POLKINGHORNE: Shadow of Finance Minister, Jane Hume. I appreciate your time on the program this morning.