Australia's Jewish communities need increased protection, Opposition tell Prime Minister
Some 20 people were inside the synagogue at the time of the incident, in which flammable liquid was poured on the front door and set alight. The occupants managed to escape via the rear of the building and no one was injured.
Shadow attorney-general Julian Leeser said Mr Albanese needed to follow the lead of other world leaders in lifting efforts to protect Jewish communities from hateful attacks against the backdrop of conflict in the Middle East.
Mr Leeser said the PM had ignored a letter, sent on June 15, from Opposition leader Sussan Ley, shadow minister for home affairs Andrew Hastie and himself which had stressed the need for greater protection.
'This is a very sad day for Australia . . . one of the oldest synagogues in Australia has been fire bombed,' he told reporters on Saturday.
'It's a synagogue that bespeaks the rich and long history of the Jewish people in this country. There's even a prayer for the King there that goes back to Queen Victoria's time in both Hebrew and English.
'This is an attack on all Australians. It is not just an attack on the Jewish community and it sickens me, but yet again the Jewish community is having to put up with these attacks, and the increasing anti-Semitism people think has gone away but continues, sadly, unabated.'
Mr Leeser said the Opposition was putting the PM on notice to take more steps to protect the Jewish community.
'I don't know that he's done all he can here,' he said.
'We're calling on him to explain what measures he has taken to protect the Jewish community, and if he didn't take increased measures, why he didn't take increased measures at that time.'
Mr Leeser said there needed to be increased police presence and security around Jewish community buildings.
'We have got to put an end to the hate that we see in this country,' he said.
Victorian premier Jacinta Allan has condemned the synagogue attack as 'disgraceful behaviour by a pack of cowards'.
'That this happened on Shabbat makes it all the more abhorrent,' she said in a statement.
'Any attack on a place of worship is an act of hate, and any attack on a Jewish place of worship is an act of anti-Semitism.'
On Saturday, police released the image of a man detectives want to speak to about the incident.
He has been described as being of Caucasian appearance, believed to be in his 30s with a beard and long hair.
Damage from the fire was contained to the front entrance.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
9 News
3 hours ago
- 9 News
Father furious childcare workers haven't been more upfront after alleged paepophile charged
Your web browser is no longer supported. To improve your experience update it here A concerned Melbourne father has uncovered that alleged paedophile Joshua Brown worked at his daughter's childcare last year but the centre hasn't been included on the official police investigation list. Abraham Khoury took his little girl to be tested and said he was furious her carers haven't been upfront with parents. Brown was working at Milestones Early Learning Centre in Greensborough on December 5 last year and sitting next to Khoury's little girl. A concerned Melbourne father has uncovered that alleged paedophile Joshua Brown worked at his daughter's childcare last year. (9News) An eagle-eyed parent spotted the image on the childcare's communication app and raised the alarm. "To know that he was there, and we were all kept in the dark about it, no one told us, there was no information available," Khoury said. "You're angry, you've been lied to, you feel gross." The centre hasn't yet been included on the official list released by investigators. "We have to get our child tested for sexually-transmitted diseases," Khoury said. Brown was working at Milestones Early Learning Centre in Greensborough on December 5 last year and sitting next to Khoury's little girl. (9News) Khoury has contacted Milestones Early Learning Centre, which is owned by Affinity group, but had no response. "It's not good enough," Khoury said. Police are continuing to work through material provided by centres across the state to confirm the 26-year-old's employment history. "We welcome the fact that people have been able to come forward with their advice, and we continue to ask them to do that," Victorian Police Minister Anthony Carbines said. Khoury has contacted Milestones Early Learning Centre, which is owned by Affinity group, but had no response. (9News) One operator has already responded with a proposal to ban male staff from changing nappies at its 16 Victorian centres. But industry experts have warned against knee-jerk reactions and said changes need to be implemented at a national level to ensure the best decisions are being made to increase safety in every facility. "Children deserve that safety from all of their educators and educators also deserve that peace of mind," Australian Childcare Alliance vice president Nesha Hutchinson said. "There needs to be reform, there needs to be cameras, there needs to be just more, because right now, it's the bare minimum," Khoury said. Melbourne Victoria crime police education national Victoria Police Australia CONTACT US Auto news: Jaguar continues testing with controversial looks.
Sydney Morning Herald
4 hours ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Australian government super tax: Most Australians are far from being affected by new tax on Superannuation, ATO data shows
Known as the super guarantee, this rate has gradually climbed from 9 per cent in 2013 to 12 per cent, beginning this month, meaning younger workers will be contributing a larger slice of their income to their super over a longer period. Chalmers has said Labor's legislation would not increase the $3 million threshold in line with inflation, meaning more people would be pushed past the cap in decades to come, and by which time that amount will not be worth as much in real terms. Loading Australian Council of Trade Unions secretary Sally McManus told Channel Nine's Today program this week that it would be 'a very long time into the future' before the average worker would be affected by the $3 million cap. McManus also said the threshold has 'got to be indexed' to make sure most people do not end up being hit by the new tax rate. Calculations based on the latest ATO data, for example, suggest a surgeon – the highest income occupation in 2022-23 – earning the job's average salary of about $470,000 a year, and contributing 12 per cent to a super fund (returning an average of 5 per cent), would still have to work about 22 years to accumulate $3 million in superannuation. That includes an assumption that their wages grow at 3.5 per cent a year. Under the same assumptions, an individual earning $180,000 would have to work 34 years before reaching the $3 million cap, and a person earning the median salary of $62,000 in 2022-23 would have to work five decades. The data from the Tax Office shows the median super account balance for those earning more than $180,001 grew from nearly $304,000 in 2021-22 to just over $315,000 in 2022-23, while the overall median balance climbed from $57,900 to $60,000. Grattan Institute Housing and Economics Security program director Joey Moloney, meanwhile, says that in 30 years' time, the $3 million threshold will still hit only the top 10 per cent of income earners, and the threshold – like ones for personal income tax – is likely to change under future governments even without indexation. 'There are people forecasting 30-, 40-plus years into the future as if this threshold will never change,' Moloney said. 'That strikes me as a very bold assumption because there'll be 10 electoral cycles in between that.' Moloney also noted that 85 per cent of those with super balances over $3 million are aged over 60 and the super tax change would reduce the pressure on younger Australians because older, wealthier Australians would shoulder more of the burden of budget repair and the ageing population. Latest data from the ATO shows men aged 60 to 64 and women aged 70 to 74 have the biggest median super balances, at just under $225,000, with both seeing a drop-off in the size of their nest eggs after 75. Men in the ACT, Western Australia and South Australia had the highest median super balances in 2022-23, while among women, median super balances were highest in the ACT, South Australia and Tasmania. Cut through the noise of federal politics with news, views and expert analysis. Subscribers can sign up to our weekly Inside Politics newsletter.
The Advertiser
5 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Pacific-Aust 'commonality' important in uncertain times
Anthony Albanese has hailed the importance of personal relationships with Pacific nations at a time when other powers are seeking to increase their influence. The prime minister, who will host Fijian counterpart Sitiveni Rabuka when the Wallabies take on Fiji in their one-off Rugby Union Test in Newcastle on Sunday, reiterated the importance of soft diplomacy in the region. "Relationships between nations essentially come down to relationships between people," he told ABC Radio on Saturday. "It is a great way in which our nations can show our commonality. We are all members of the Pacific family." Australia has provided $10 million over seven years for the Fijian Drua women's and men's teams in the Super Rugby Pacific and Australia Super W competitions. Some $600 million over a decade for a PNG NRL team had also cemented the relationship between the two neighbouring nations, Mr Albanese said. He said investments in sports were linked with education and economic development, resulting in better health outcomes and stronger, more secure and smarter Pacific populations. At a time when the United States is pulling away and China and Russia are trying to increase their influence, the prime minister stressed the importance of positioning Australia as the partner of choice. "We have a considerable defence and security presence throughout the Pacific and that's very much, in these uncertain times, in Australia's interests," he said. "One of the ways that we cement that is through those personal relations." Mr Albanese was keen to highlight Australia's upgraded defence and security relationships with Fiji, PNG, Tuvalu, Nauru and other smaller nations in the Pacific. "We are family and we assist each other as friends, not with strings attached," he said. "What we do is we help each other out because of our common interests and our common values." Mr Rabuka met with Governor-General Sam Mostyn at Government House in Canberra earlier this week. In a keynote address at the National Press Club on Wednesday, he spoke glowingly of bilateral ties between Suva and Canberra in a deteriorating world. "Unfortunately for now, I contest the region's outlook is more uncertain than at any time since Fiji's independence in 1970," he said. "Perhaps we have reached a point in our Fiji-Australia relationship where a renewed and elevated Vuvale partnership needs a further step-up to an agreement for a treaty." Anthony Albanese has hailed the importance of personal relationships with Pacific nations at a time when other powers are seeking to increase their influence. The prime minister, who will host Fijian counterpart Sitiveni Rabuka when the Wallabies take on Fiji in their one-off Rugby Union Test in Newcastle on Sunday, reiterated the importance of soft diplomacy in the region. "Relationships between nations essentially come down to relationships between people," he told ABC Radio on Saturday. "It is a great way in which our nations can show our commonality. We are all members of the Pacific family." Australia has provided $10 million over seven years for the Fijian Drua women's and men's teams in the Super Rugby Pacific and Australia Super W competitions. Some $600 million over a decade for a PNG NRL team had also cemented the relationship between the two neighbouring nations, Mr Albanese said. He said investments in sports were linked with education and economic development, resulting in better health outcomes and stronger, more secure and smarter Pacific populations. At a time when the United States is pulling away and China and Russia are trying to increase their influence, the prime minister stressed the importance of positioning Australia as the partner of choice. "We have a considerable defence and security presence throughout the Pacific and that's very much, in these uncertain times, in Australia's interests," he said. "One of the ways that we cement that is through those personal relations." Mr Albanese was keen to highlight Australia's upgraded defence and security relationships with Fiji, PNG, Tuvalu, Nauru and other smaller nations in the Pacific. "We are family and we assist each other as friends, not with strings attached," he said. "What we do is we help each other out because of our common interests and our common values." Mr Rabuka met with Governor-General Sam Mostyn at Government House in Canberra earlier this week. In a keynote address at the National Press Club on Wednesday, he spoke glowingly of bilateral ties between Suva and Canberra in a deteriorating world. "Unfortunately for now, I contest the region's outlook is more uncertain than at any time since Fiji's independence in 1970," he said. "Perhaps we have reached a point in our Fiji-Australia relationship where a renewed and elevated Vuvale partnership needs a further step-up to an agreement for a treaty." Anthony Albanese has hailed the importance of personal relationships with Pacific nations at a time when other powers are seeking to increase their influence. The prime minister, who will host Fijian counterpart Sitiveni Rabuka when the Wallabies take on Fiji in their one-off Rugby Union Test in Newcastle on Sunday, reiterated the importance of soft diplomacy in the region. "Relationships between nations essentially come down to relationships between people," he told ABC Radio on Saturday. "It is a great way in which our nations can show our commonality. We are all members of the Pacific family." Australia has provided $10 million over seven years for the Fijian Drua women's and men's teams in the Super Rugby Pacific and Australia Super W competitions. Some $600 million over a decade for a PNG NRL team had also cemented the relationship between the two neighbouring nations, Mr Albanese said. He said investments in sports were linked with education and economic development, resulting in better health outcomes and stronger, more secure and smarter Pacific populations. At a time when the United States is pulling away and China and Russia are trying to increase their influence, the prime minister stressed the importance of positioning Australia as the partner of choice. "We have a considerable defence and security presence throughout the Pacific and that's very much, in these uncertain times, in Australia's interests," he said. "One of the ways that we cement that is through those personal relations." Mr Albanese was keen to highlight Australia's upgraded defence and security relationships with Fiji, PNG, Tuvalu, Nauru and other smaller nations in the Pacific. "We are family and we assist each other as friends, not with strings attached," he said. "What we do is we help each other out because of our common interests and our common values." Mr Rabuka met with Governor-General Sam Mostyn at Government House in Canberra earlier this week. In a keynote address at the National Press Club on Wednesday, he spoke glowingly of bilateral ties between Suva and Canberra in a deteriorating world. "Unfortunately for now, I contest the region's outlook is more uncertain than at any time since Fiji's independence in 1970," he said. "Perhaps we have reached a point in our Fiji-Australia relationship where a renewed and elevated Vuvale partnership needs a further step-up to an agreement for a treaty." Anthony Albanese has hailed the importance of personal relationships with Pacific nations at a time when other powers are seeking to increase their influence. The prime minister, who will host Fijian counterpart Sitiveni Rabuka when the Wallabies take on Fiji in their one-off Rugby Union Test in Newcastle on Sunday, reiterated the importance of soft diplomacy in the region. "Relationships between nations essentially come down to relationships between people," he told ABC Radio on Saturday. "It is a great way in which our nations can show our commonality. We are all members of the Pacific family." Australia has provided $10 million over seven years for the Fijian Drua women's and men's teams in the Super Rugby Pacific and Australia Super W competitions. Some $600 million over a decade for a PNG NRL team had also cemented the relationship between the two neighbouring nations, Mr Albanese said. He said investments in sports were linked with education and economic development, resulting in better health outcomes and stronger, more secure and smarter Pacific populations. At a time when the United States is pulling away and China and Russia are trying to increase their influence, the prime minister stressed the importance of positioning Australia as the partner of choice. "We have a considerable defence and security presence throughout the Pacific and that's very much, in these uncertain times, in Australia's interests," he said. "One of the ways that we cement that is through those personal relations." Mr Albanese was keen to highlight Australia's upgraded defence and security relationships with Fiji, PNG, Tuvalu, Nauru and other smaller nations in the Pacific. "We are family and we assist each other as friends, not with strings attached," he said. "What we do is we help each other out because of our common interests and our common values." Mr Rabuka met with Governor-General Sam Mostyn at Government House in Canberra earlier this week. In a keynote address at the National Press Club on Wednesday, he spoke glowingly of bilateral ties between Suva and Canberra in a deteriorating world. "Unfortunately for now, I contest the region's outlook is more uncertain than at any time since Fiji's independence in 1970," he said. "Perhaps we have reached a point in our Fiji-Australia relationship where a renewed and elevated Vuvale partnership needs a further step-up to an agreement for a treaty."
