Senator the Hon Michaelia Cash
Shadow Attorney General
Shadow Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations
Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate
Senator for Western Australia
TRANSCRIPT
Sky News Credlin
11 December 2024
TOPICS: Albanese’s lack of support for Australia’s Jewish community, UN backflips on Israel, antisemitism, decline in union membership
E&OE
Peta Credlin
Joining me now to discuss this and more, Shadow Attorney-General, Michaelia Cash. Well, you’ve got a Premier here in New South Wales, Michaelia, who clearly understands how dangerous, how febrile things are at the moment, and I have to give him credit, he has been like that from day one, but federally, it feels like they’re just chasing votes in seats with large Muslim constituencies.
Senator Cash
Well, Peta, let’s be very clear here. You have a left-wing Prime Minister running a left-wing government, and because they control both houses of the Australian parliament, they are able to implement what clearly is, and we need to call it out for what it is, an anti-Israel agenda. Social cohesion in the great country of Australia is at an all-time low because of the actions and the policy inaction of Mr. Albanese. I mean, when is Mr. Albanese going to take responsibility Peta, for the fact that his actions, and in particular in the United Nations, railing against the great state, our friend Israel, is responsible for what is going on in Australia at the moment. And what I’d say to the Australian people is this, no longer listen to what Mr. Albanese says. This is a man that is desperate. He will now do anything, Peta and say anything to have people believe he’s standing with the Jewish community. Well, I say Mr. Albanese, Australians aren’t mugs. They will judge you by your actions, and your actions show that social is at an all-time low, and antisemitism is at an all-time high because of your government.
Peta Credlin
Is it just using the government’s back flip on Israel, and it’s been consistent from day one. I mean, he didn’t ring Bibi Netanyahu after the attacks. He took two weeks to make those calls, but straight on the phone when we lost that Australian aid worker in those terrible circumstances and pushed an inquiry on the Israelis, is he using that as cover? Are the government using that as cover to send a message to the Arab vote, the Muslim vote. You know that their core, hard left constituency to say, “look, our comments about Israel are really what we’re saying that are antisemitic. You can read the code publicly. We’ve got to say what we say about the Jews. But you know what our real position is.” Is that’s what’s happening here, the dirty grubby politics here?
Senator Cash
Peta, let’s be honest here, this is a left wing government. They are no friend of Israel. They are playing a numbers game, well and truly to shore up the seats in Western Sydney. But what is worse is they’ve now been exposed as being a left wing government who is no friend of Israel, and they’ve now realized you now have a domestic terrorism attack on a synagogue in Australia. This has exposed exactly Mr. Albanese and his failure as a leader. So what does Mr. Albanese do now? He goes into and I’m sorry to have to call it this, but he goes into damage control, and that’s why I would say to Australians, don’t judge Mr. Albanese by what he is saying now. Judge him on the past two and a half years in government. Judge him in particular on what he has done since October the seventh last year. But if you want confirmation Peta, of where the Albanese government’s policy intent lies, just look at Foreign Minister Penny Wong, what she does in the United Nations in railing against Israel. But worse than that, and you mentioned this in your opening – her speech this week, basically vilifying the state of Israel. I mean, of all weeks, you have a domestic terrorism attack targeting the Jewish community at a synagogue, and Penny Wong still thinks it’s okay to stand up and give the speech she gave. But worse than that, compare the liberal democracy of Israel, a great friend to Australia, someone who has provided us with intelligence to ensure that we did not have terrorism attacks here, both at home or on our soldiers in the Middle East, and she compares them to authoritarian regimes. Well, quite frankly, as I said, enough is enough. We see through your words, Mr. Albanese, and you will be judged, and your government will be judged by your anti-Israel actions.
Peta Credlin
All right, I know you’ve had plenty of security briefings in your time. You would be across radicalisation, a lot of things happening around mosques in Australia. We’ve got an Islamic cleric, Wissam Hadid, previously called Jews vile and treacherous. He dismissed the firebombing last Friday as a deliberately contrived attack to draw public sympathy. Now I have to say, where is the outrage from the government? Where are the charges laid against these hate preachers? If they are on a visa, where are the deportations? Michaelia?
Senator Cash
Well, it’s a very good question, Peta, but let’s again, look at this government’s record. They don’t deport, they don’t remove from Australia. Instead, they release into the community. Again, this is a government – don’t listen to what they’re saying. Judge them by their actions and their actions when it came to the criminals that they have let into the community, that’s what they need to be judged on. Now, this particular cleric, he’s actually an Australian citizen. He was born in Australia to Lebanese parents, but this type of speech has no place in our great country. It is an absolute disgrace. And in fact, if I recall, it was under former Prime Minister Abbott, Peta, that this particular cleric said he’d rip up his citizenship and leave Australia. Well, 10 years later, we’re all still waiting.
Peta Credlin
Well, I hope he gets charged. Michaelia, I hope the police throw the book it him. I mean, we can charge a pregnant woman for posting something on Facebook about an anti-COVID Freedom rally, and this bloke’s got impunity. Hey, let’s go to your other portfolio. We’ve talked about AG. I want to go to workplace relations. The Financial Review today said there’s been a surge in union membership. Now it’s grown very strongly in the public sector, but in the private sector. In the private sector, it is at historic lows. Now, Labor clearly has got a strategy – pump the jobs in the private sector, grow the private sector union jobs, because they are diminishing fast in the real world. Have I got that right?
Senator Cash
10 out of 10, absolutely, one and one does equal two in this circumstance. So you have a government that will do anything now to pay off its union paymasters. Every policy that is implemented has been to do nothing more and nothing less than to increase union membership. I mean, the economy has sluggish growth, 0.8% but guess what that’s down to? An increase in public sector funding. The jobs that are created in the labour market, not in the private sector, in the public sector. The growth in union membership, as you said, the statistics don’t lie. You have seen big drops for the private sector. But guess what? Because of this government’s actions, they’re increasing in the public sector. So the bad news for Australians is this. It’s bad now, big government and big unions, but Peta, what do you think they’re going to do if they get a second chance at government but we’re still in minority with the Australian Greens? If you think big government and big unions funded by the Albanese government is bad now, it’s going to get a whole lot worse, and the one policy I’d love Mr. Albanese to rule out – bargaining fees for non-union members in their next government, because Peta this is something that the unions have been calling on for years, and I’ve got money on the fact that if Mr. Albanese gets over the line, in particular, in minority with Adam Bandt – watch out employers across Australia, you’ll be charged bargaining fees for non-union members. How do you feel about that?
Peta Credlin
From bad to worse, Michaelia. Thanks for your time.
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