Interview with Natalie Barr, Sunrise

22 January 2025

NATALIE BARR: Well, after months of anti-Semitic violence across Sydney and Melbourne, the Australian Federal Police are now investigating whether foreign actors are paying local criminals to carry out targeted attacks on the Jewish community. The investigation is also seeking to understand whether young people carrying out these crimes have been radicalised online. For their take, let’s bring in employment Minister Murray Watt and Shadow Finance Minister Jane Hume. Good morning to both of you, Murray, what kind of foreign actor could be behind these anti-Semitic attacks here in Australia?

MURRAY WATT: Well, good morning, Nat and Jane. This obviously is a worrying development in the anti-Semitic attacks that we've been seeing far too frequently in Australia. I'll obviously leave it for the AFP to confirm some of the details about this, but I think this demonstrates exactly how far our police authorities are going to try to crack down on this shopping behavior. We've already seen now dozens of arrests by New South Wales, Federal and Victorian Police, and I think that sends a really clear message from the whole community that there's no tolerance for this kind of behavior, and you will be caught if you do these kind of disgusting attacks.

NATALIE BARR: Yeah Jane, you promised to introduce mandatory minimum jail time for anti-Semitic offenses. That might not be enough, though would it be? If these attacks have been orchestrated by someone overseas.

JANE HUME: Nat, we've also said that a Coalition government will make it a hate crime to urge or threaten violence against a place of worship, and that that would be an offense that would attract a punishment of imprisonment of up to five years or seven years if it's an aggravated attack. We do need to strengthen our laws, make them tougher, because for now 15 months, Jewish Australians have been living in fear and these rolling terrorist attacks, these anti-Semitic attacks, are unacceptable, and we need strong leadership, tougher laws and better resourcing to deal with it.

NATALIE BARR: Have you been doing enough Murray? These have been going on since that heated protest outside the Opera House after October 7.

MURRAY WATT: Well, I do think the Government has been acting very strongly here. Nat, as I say, the powers that we and state governments have now provided police forces have resulted in the arrest of dozens of people, and I'm sure that number will continue to grow. But even in the last couple of years, through the Federal Parliament, we have banned, for the first time, the display of hate symbols, whether it be Nazi salutes and certain flags. We've actually now banned a practice called doxing, which is the malicious release of personal details targeted at the Jewish community. And I have to say, Jane and her colleagues did not vote for that legislation when it went through the parliament last year. We’ve actually got legislation in front of the parliament now to deal with hate crimes…

JANE HUME: We’ll strengthen those.

MURRAY WATT: So we have been through Australia's laws, and unfortunately, there are some people in the community who are just engaging in this disgusting behavior, and the AFP and state police have demonstrated they will be caught and they will go to jail, which is where they belong.

NATALIE BARR: Yeah, it sure is. Let's move on. Donald Trump hasn't wasted a moment in his first day back in office, including his declarations that the US will now only recognise two genders, male and female. And it hasn't taken long for some Coalition MPs back here to get behind that. Both National Senator Matt Canavan and MP Barnaby Joyce saying Trump has got it right. Jane, do you agree with your Coalition colleagues?

JANE HUME: Well, this isn't something that Australians are raising with me, and it's not something that Peter Dutton has raised with me either. While the big issue for ordinary Australians is the cost of living, the fact that their living standards have collapsed by 7.8%, that they can't find somewhere to live, that their businesses are shutting in record numbers. These are the issues that are going to be the focus of a Coalition government.

NATALIE BARR: Yes, so do you, the question was, do you agree with your Coalition colleagues on this one though?

JANE HUME: I think that this is, Donald Trump's going to raise a lot of issues that are going to create debate around the world. This isn't one that I'm focused on.

NATALIE BARR: But you've got two Coalition colleagues saying they back that.

JANE HUME: It’s not an issue that's come up in Cabinet, not an issue that Peter Dutton has raised.

NATALIE BARR: And that wasn't the question. The question was, what do you think on this issue?

JANE HUME: It hasn't, it's not something that keeps me awake at night. I think that there are two genders certainly…

NATALIE BARR: I’m not asking that.

JANE HUME: No, but that is what you've asked. It’s not an issue that keeps me awake. I'm focused on Australians cost of living crisis and making life better for ordinary Australians.

NATALIE BARR: According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, you've got 182,000 Australians who are trans or gender diverse. That's a lot of people in this country who would be reading newspapers and watching media today who are worried about this. So you're on national television, you can tell us what your view is today.

JANE HUME: I think I just did. It's not an issue that…

NATALIE BARR: You didn’t.

JANE HUME: I absolutely did Nat. It's not an issue that keeps me awake at night. This is not an issue that mainstream Australians are talking to me about. They're talking to me about the cost of living crisis that’s been allowed to run rampant under this government…

NATALIE BARR (talks over): Yes we know that’s the main issue.

JANE HUME: This is a government that has taken its eye off the ball.

NATALIE BARR: It's a big issue. So just clarifying what your view was.

JANE HUME: There is no Coalition position to take the same route as Donald Trump. Donald Trump's going to raise lots of issues that are going to raise debate around the world. This is not one that is top of our agenda. We need to deal with the cost of living crisis, with a housing crisis, with the fact that businesses are facing cost of business crisis. These are the first order issues of a Coalition government. These are first order issues for Peter Dutton. Talking about what's important to ordinary Australians, not what's important on fringe issues.

NATALIE BARR: Yeah, we do appreciate they are the main issues. As we mentioned, some people are very worried about this one. Thank you very much for your time both of you.