Islamist preacher unable to 'bury' anti-Semitism ruling
Sydney-based Al Madina Dawah Centre cleric Wissam Haddad was ordered by the Federal Court earlier in July not to repeat the perverse and racist tropes used in a series of fiery sermons from November 2023.
In the speeches, Mr Haddad - who is also known as William Haddad or Abu Ousayd - variously referred to Jewish people as "vile", "treacherous", "murderous" and "mischievous".
Justice Angus Stewart found the sermons contained "perverse generalisations" against Jewish people and included racist, anti-Semitic tropes.
The judge on Thursday ordered the preacher "pin" or "feature" corrective notices describing the court's findings to the centre's website and social media pages on Facebook, Rumble, Instagram and Soundcloud.
He has been given 21 days to comply with the order and the posts had not been made as of Thursday afternoon.
Mr Haddad objected to prominently displaying the notices, saying this would go beyond what was ordinarily ordered by the courts.
Pinning the posts would be tantamount to promoting or advertising the findings, he said.
Justice Stewart ordered the notices to be pinned for 30 days, saying the requirement was not unduly burdensome and would stop them disappearing from view.
"It will prevent them from being deliberately buried by way of successive further posts," the judge wrote.
Promoting the notices was part of their objective, he said.
"The respondents promoted the unlawful lectures and it is not disproportionate to require them to promote the corrective notice in the relatively constrained manner described above as an appropriate form of redress," he wrote in his judgment.
The notice itself highlights the "unlawful behaviour based on racial hatred" of Mr Haddad and the centre.
The three lectures - titled "The Jews of Al Medina" and published on video hosting site Rumble - were reasonably likely to offend, insult, humiliate or intimidate Jewish members of the Australian community, the notice says.
The lawsuit was brought by Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-chief executive Peter Wertheim and deputy president Robert Goot, who claimed the lectures were offensive and could incite violence towards Jewish people.
The pair said they were vindicated by Justice Stewart's findings, saying no community in Australia should be dehumanised.
"Freedom of expression should not be abused by the promotion of hateful anti-Semitism and those who wish to do so should know that conduct shouldn't be tolerated by us," Mr Goot told reporters after the judgment.
The cleric has been ordered to remove the lectures and not to repeat similar racist statements about Jewish people in public.
He will also have to pay the legal bill for Mr Wertheim and Mr Goot, which is estimated to be in the six figures.
Mr Haddad's speeches were delivered after Hamas, designated by Australia as a terrorist group, attacked Israel on October 7, 2023.
The attack sparked Israeli retaliation that has left Gaza in turmoil and tens of thousands of civilians dead.
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The Advertiser
21 minutes ago
- The Advertiser
'Just a little lie': the costly Jeremy Bath rumour Allan Robinson started
IT was the fib that sparked a bitter feud between councillors, a formal investigation, and set back City of Newcastle chief executive Jeremy Bath's employment by six months. Nine years on, in a colourful eulogy about former lord mayor and development titan Jeff McCloy, former councillor Allan 'Robbo' Robinson confessed: he made it up. Mr Bath's recruitment was thrown into turmoil in December 2016 when then Cr Robinson claimed a mystery man in Belmont told him Mr Bath had the job, two days before interviews. At Mr McCloy's packed City Hall funeral, Mr Robinson told an enraptured crowd he "made up some shit story" that was "just a little lie". "Jeremy Bath was coming on, and the whispers were, you know, 'He's not up for it, he's not up for it, he's not doing this, he's not doing this'," Mr Robinson said. "So I made up some shit story, just a little lie, it didn't hurt anyone. "I just made up this story, and it held Jeremy up for I think eight weeks I kept him out of a wage." Mr Robinson went on to say Mr McCloy approached him to ask what he'd heard. "I said 'Oh nothing, I've made it up'," Mr Robinson said. "Jeff went berserk at me for lying, I thought, 'f***, you're not me [sic] dad.'" In 2016, Mr Robinson said a man had approached him in Belmont and revealed a former Hunter-based executive had been given the job two days before interviews were due to take place. At the time, Mr Robinson said he did not know the mystery man's name, where he lived, and did not probe where the information had come from. The lie led to Cr Andrea Rufo, who died in November 2024 following a battle with acute myeloid leukemia, resigning from his position on the CEO recruitment panel. Councillors walked out of a confidential vote on the election of a new interim CEO, and the NSW Office of Local Government later launched an investigation. It found nothing "improper or unethical" in the recruitment process. Mr Robinson told the Newcastle Herald he did not remember the particulars of the conversation, that a bloke from Belmont did tell him something, but he "might have added fuel to it" to put a stop to Mr Bath's recruitment until an investigation could be held. "I know with what I'd said I made up the best part of it to stop it and start an investigation, and then the investigation started," he said. Despite the fall-out, Mr Robinson said he does not "have any regrets". "They had to look into it ... and did I tell a white lie to stop it? I must have," he said. "I'm telling you now it's a better thing for the district for the fact what I done [sic] to Jeremy." Mr Robinson admitted he told Mr Bath at the time he "might have had something to do with it" and the pair have been "mates ever since". "I think he called me a name, my grandkids say f***, they don't say that one, right?" he said. "Let the people know how lucky they are to have Jeremy Bath at the helm. "He gives his guts to that joint, yeah, he gets a fortune for it, but he's worth every f****** cent he gets." Mr Bath was offered the role in March 2017. Several weeks before he started at City of Newcastle, Mr Bath said he called Mr Robinson about the "old man in Belmont" and the impact of the lie. "It was probably a more colourful conversation than I care to repeat now, but I made clear that I was willing to move forward on the condition that there were no more made-up stories about me," he said. Mr Bath said the story, the resulting council walk-out and Mr Rufo's resignation damaged his reputation and saw him start on the back foot with staff, councillors and the community. "Fortunately, several months before he passed away, Andrea called me to tell me that he no longer believed the story, and that he regretted believing it at the time. It was a lovely moment between us," Mr Bath said. "They say mud sticks, and it probably has to some degree. The 'old man in Belmont' reference still comes up every now and then, but I learnt a long time ago most people judge me based on how the city is performing rather than what other people tell them about me." Mr Bath said he did not speak publicly about Mr Robinson's admission at the time because he knew it was a lie. "The timeline of his story was based on a supposed conversation that took place before I'd even spoken with the recruiter about the job," he said. "I told Robbo when we spoke for the first time that I was willing to move forward. That meant putting it behind us." Four years on from Mr Robinson's tenure, Mr Bath said he still answers his calls. "In terms of going forward, it's nice to have the story put to bed and the truth known," he said. 'Robbo' was not eligible to stand for council in the 2024 elections because he was banned from holding civic office for two years, for misconduct the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal deemed "grossly homophobic" and "discriminatory". The tribunal found Mr Robinson had made a series of abusive comments towards fellow councillors between 2019 and 2020. IT was the fib that sparked a bitter feud between councillors, a formal investigation, and set back City of Newcastle chief executive Jeremy Bath's employment by six months. Nine years on, in a colourful eulogy about former lord mayor and development titan Jeff McCloy, former councillor Allan 'Robbo' Robinson confessed: he made it up. Mr Bath's recruitment was thrown into turmoil in December 2016 when then Cr Robinson claimed a mystery man in Belmont told him Mr Bath had the job, two days before interviews. At Mr McCloy's packed City Hall funeral, Mr Robinson told an enraptured crowd he "made up some shit story" that was "just a little lie". "Jeremy Bath was coming on, and the whispers were, you know, 'He's not up for it, he's not up for it, he's not doing this, he's not doing this'," Mr Robinson said. "So I made up some shit story, just a little lie, it didn't hurt anyone. "I just made up this story, and it held Jeremy up for I think eight weeks I kept him out of a wage." Mr Robinson went on to say Mr McCloy approached him to ask what he'd heard. "I said 'Oh nothing, I've made it up'," Mr Robinson said. "Jeff went berserk at me for lying, I thought, 'f***, you're not me [sic] dad.'" In 2016, Mr Robinson said a man had approached him in Belmont and revealed a former Hunter-based executive had been given the job two days before interviews were due to take place. At the time, Mr Robinson said he did not know the mystery man's name, where he lived, and did not probe where the information had come from. The lie led to Cr Andrea Rufo, who died in November 2024 following a battle with acute myeloid leukemia, resigning from his position on the CEO recruitment panel. Councillors walked out of a confidential vote on the election of a new interim CEO, and the NSW Office of Local Government later launched an investigation. It found nothing "improper or unethical" in the recruitment process. Mr Robinson told the Newcastle Herald he did not remember the particulars of the conversation, that a bloke from Belmont did tell him something, but he "might have added fuel to it" to put a stop to Mr Bath's recruitment until an investigation could be held. "I know with what I'd said I made up the best part of it to stop it and start an investigation, and then the investigation started," he said. Despite the fall-out, Mr Robinson said he does not "have any regrets". "They had to look into it ... and did I tell a white lie to stop it? I must have," he said. "I'm telling you now it's a better thing for the district for the fact what I done [sic] to Jeremy." Mr Robinson admitted he told Mr Bath at the time he "might have had something to do with it" and the pair have been "mates ever since". "I think he called me a name, my grandkids say f***, they don't say that one, right?" he said. "Let the people know how lucky they are to have Jeremy Bath at the helm. "He gives his guts to that joint, yeah, he gets a fortune for it, but he's worth every f****** cent he gets." Mr Bath was offered the role in March 2017. Several weeks before he started at City of Newcastle, Mr Bath said he called Mr Robinson about the "old man in Belmont" and the impact of the lie. "It was probably a more colourful conversation than I care to repeat now, but I made clear that I was willing to move forward on the condition that there were no more made-up stories about me," he said. Mr Bath said the story, the resulting council walk-out and Mr Rufo's resignation damaged his reputation and saw him start on the back foot with staff, councillors and the community. "Fortunately, several months before he passed away, Andrea called me to tell me that he no longer believed the story, and that he regretted believing it at the time. It was a lovely moment between us," Mr Bath said. "They say mud sticks, and it probably has to some degree. The 'old man in Belmont' reference still comes up every now and then, but I learnt a long time ago most people judge me based on how the city is performing rather than what other people tell them about me." Mr Bath said he did not speak publicly about Mr Robinson's admission at the time because he knew it was a lie. "The timeline of his story was based on a supposed conversation that took place before I'd even spoken with the recruiter about the job," he said. "I told Robbo when we spoke for the first time that I was willing to move forward. That meant putting it behind us." Four years on from Mr Robinson's tenure, Mr Bath said he still answers his calls. "In terms of going forward, it's nice to have the story put to bed and the truth known," he said. 'Robbo' was not eligible to stand for council in the 2024 elections because he was banned from holding civic office for two years, for misconduct the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal deemed "grossly homophobic" and "discriminatory". The tribunal found Mr Robinson had made a series of abusive comments towards fellow councillors between 2019 and 2020. IT was the fib that sparked a bitter feud between councillors, a formal investigation, and set back City of Newcastle chief executive Jeremy Bath's employment by six months. Nine years on, in a colourful eulogy about former lord mayor and development titan Jeff McCloy, former councillor Allan 'Robbo' Robinson confessed: he made it up. Mr Bath's recruitment was thrown into turmoil in December 2016 when then Cr Robinson claimed a mystery man in Belmont told him Mr Bath had the job, two days before interviews. At Mr McCloy's packed City Hall funeral, Mr Robinson told an enraptured crowd he "made up some shit story" that was "just a little lie". "Jeremy Bath was coming on, and the whispers were, you know, 'He's not up for it, he's not up for it, he's not doing this, he's not doing this'," Mr Robinson said. "So I made up some shit story, just a little lie, it didn't hurt anyone. "I just made up this story, and it held Jeremy up for I think eight weeks I kept him out of a wage." Mr Robinson went on to say Mr McCloy approached him to ask what he'd heard. "I said 'Oh nothing, I've made it up'," Mr Robinson said. "Jeff went berserk at me for lying, I thought, 'f***, you're not me [sic] dad.'" In 2016, Mr Robinson said a man had approached him in Belmont and revealed a former Hunter-based executive had been given the job two days before interviews were due to take place. At the time, Mr Robinson said he did not know the mystery man's name, where he lived, and did not probe where the information had come from. The lie led to Cr Andrea Rufo, who died in November 2024 following a battle with acute myeloid leukemia, resigning from his position on the CEO recruitment panel. Councillors walked out of a confidential vote on the election of a new interim CEO, and the NSW Office of Local Government later launched an investigation. It found nothing "improper or unethical" in the recruitment process. Mr Robinson told the Newcastle Herald he did not remember the particulars of the conversation, that a bloke from Belmont did tell him something, but he "might have added fuel to it" to put a stop to Mr Bath's recruitment until an investigation could be held. "I know with what I'd said I made up the best part of it to stop it and start an investigation, and then the investigation started," he said. Despite the fall-out, Mr Robinson said he does not "have any regrets". "They had to look into it ... and did I tell a white lie to stop it? I must have," he said. "I'm telling you now it's a better thing for the district for the fact what I done [sic] to Jeremy." Mr Robinson admitted he told Mr Bath at the time he "might have had something to do with it" and the pair have been "mates ever since". "I think he called me a name, my grandkids say f***, they don't say that one, right?" he said. "Let the people know how lucky they are to have Jeremy Bath at the helm. "He gives his guts to that joint, yeah, he gets a fortune for it, but he's worth every f****** cent he gets." Mr Bath was offered the role in March 2017. Several weeks before he started at City of Newcastle, Mr Bath said he called Mr Robinson about the "old man in Belmont" and the impact of the lie. "It was probably a more colourful conversation than I care to repeat now, but I made clear that I was willing to move forward on the condition that there were no more made-up stories about me," he said. Mr Bath said the story, the resulting council walk-out and Mr Rufo's resignation damaged his reputation and saw him start on the back foot with staff, councillors and the community. "Fortunately, several months before he passed away, Andrea called me to tell me that he no longer believed the story, and that he regretted believing it at the time. It was a lovely moment between us," Mr Bath said. "They say mud sticks, and it probably has to some degree. The 'old man in Belmont' reference still comes up every now and then, but I learnt a long time ago most people judge me based on how the city is performing rather than what other people tell them about me." Mr Bath said he did not speak publicly about Mr Robinson's admission at the time because he knew it was a lie. "The timeline of his story was based on a supposed conversation that took place before I'd even spoken with the recruiter about the job," he said. "I told Robbo when we spoke for the first time that I was willing to move forward. That meant putting it behind us." Four years on from Mr Robinson's tenure, Mr Bath said he still answers his calls. "In terms of going forward, it's nice to have the story put to bed and the truth known," he said. 'Robbo' was not eligible to stand for council in the 2024 elections because he was banned from holding civic office for two years, for misconduct the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal deemed "grossly homophobic" and "discriminatory". The tribunal found Mr Robinson had made a series of abusive comments towards fellow councillors between 2019 and 2020. IT was the fib that sparked a bitter feud between councillors, a formal investigation, and set back City of Newcastle chief executive Jeremy Bath's employment by six months. Nine years on, in a colourful eulogy about former lord mayor and development titan Jeff McCloy, former councillor Allan 'Robbo' Robinson confessed: he made it up. Mr Bath's recruitment was thrown into turmoil in December 2016 when then Cr Robinson claimed a mystery man in Belmont told him Mr Bath had the job, two days before interviews. At Mr McCloy's packed City Hall funeral, Mr Robinson told an enraptured crowd he "made up some shit story" that was "just a little lie". "Jeremy Bath was coming on, and the whispers were, you know, 'He's not up for it, he's not up for it, he's not doing this, he's not doing this'," Mr Robinson said. "So I made up some shit story, just a little lie, it didn't hurt anyone. "I just made up this story, and it held Jeremy up for I think eight weeks I kept him out of a wage." Mr Robinson went on to say Mr McCloy approached him to ask what he'd heard. "I said 'Oh nothing, I've made it up'," Mr Robinson said. "Jeff went berserk at me for lying, I thought, 'f***, you're not me [sic] dad.'" In 2016, Mr Robinson said a man had approached him in Belmont and revealed a former Hunter-based executive had been given the job two days before interviews were due to take place. At the time, Mr Robinson said he did not know the mystery man's name, where he lived, and did not probe where the information had come from. The lie led to Cr Andrea Rufo, who died in November 2024 following a battle with acute myeloid leukemia, resigning from his position on the CEO recruitment panel. Councillors walked out of a confidential vote on the election of a new interim CEO, and the NSW Office of Local Government later launched an investigation. It found nothing "improper or unethical" in the recruitment process. Mr Robinson told the Newcastle Herald he did not remember the particulars of the conversation, that a bloke from Belmont did tell him something, but he "might have added fuel to it" to put a stop to Mr Bath's recruitment until an investigation could be held. "I know with what I'd said I made up the best part of it to stop it and start an investigation, and then the investigation started," he said. Despite the fall-out, Mr Robinson said he does not "have any regrets". "They had to look into it ... and did I tell a white lie to stop it? I must have," he said. "I'm telling you now it's a better thing for the district for the fact what I done [sic] to Jeremy." Mr Robinson admitted he told Mr Bath at the time he "might have had something to do with it" and the pair have been "mates ever since". "I think he called me a name, my grandkids say f***, they don't say that one, right?" he said. "Let the people know how lucky they are to have Jeremy Bath at the helm. "He gives his guts to that joint, yeah, he gets a fortune for it, but he's worth every f****** cent he gets." Mr Bath was offered the role in March 2017. Several weeks before he started at City of Newcastle, Mr Bath said he called Mr Robinson about the "old man in Belmont" and the impact of the lie. "It was probably a more colourful conversation than I care to repeat now, but I made clear that I was willing to move forward on the condition that there were no more made-up stories about me," he said. Mr Bath said the story, the resulting council walk-out and Mr Rufo's resignation damaged his reputation and saw him start on the back foot with staff, councillors and the community. "Fortunately, several months before he passed away, Andrea called me to tell me that he no longer believed the story, and that he regretted believing it at the time. It was a lovely moment between us," Mr Bath said. "They say mud sticks, and it probably has to some degree. The 'old man in Belmont' reference still comes up every now and then, but I learnt a long time ago most people judge me based on how the city is performing rather than what other people tell them about me." Mr Bath said he did not speak publicly about Mr Robinson's admission at the time because he knew it was a lie. "The timeline of his story was based on a supposed conversation that took place before I'd even spoken with the recruiter about the job," he said. "I told Robbo when we spoke for the first time that I was willing to move forward. That meant putting it behind us." Four years on from Mr Robinson's tenure, Mr Bath said he still answers his calls. "In terms of going forward, it's nice to have the story put to bed and the truth known," he said. 'Robbo' was not eligible to stand for council in the 2024 elections because he was banned from holding civic office for two years, for misconduct the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal deemed "grossly homophobic" and "discriminatory". The tribunal found Mr Robinson had made a series of abusive comments towards fellow councillors between 2019 and 2020.
Perth Now
8 hours ago
- Perth Now
'Battery of the nation' undersea power cable at risk
One of the nation's largest energy projects could be in doubt amid a government stoush and a cost blowout. The multi-billion-dollar Marinus Link undersea power cable project to connect Tasmania to the mainland has been touted as critical to making the island state the "battery of the nation" by increasing its capacity to export green power. The $5.5 billion project is set to be funded by the federal, Tasmanian and Victorian governments. The Tasmanian government's decision on its 17.7 per cent share of the link's Stage 1 cable, initially promised by July 31, has been delayed. Tasmania's Shadow Energy Minister Janie Finlay on Saturday accused Premier Jeremy Rockliff of blocking a briefing from Energy Minister Nick Duigan on the Marinus business case. It had been hoped the briefing would create bipartisan support to secure the project as Tasmania's Liberal government scrambles for survival following the July 19 election. "We are days away from a critical decision on one of Tasmania's largest infrastructure projects," Ms Finlay told reporters. "The business case has been sitting in the premier's office for two months, but Jeremy Rockliff won't let Tasmanians see it. "Not only have they just not briefed Tasmanian Labor, but the premier has stepped in and actively blocked that." Tasmanian Minerals, Manufacturing and Energy Council chief executive Ray Mostogl said the delay and uncertainty placed the entire project at risk. Marinus Link must "issue notice to proceed" by the end of August or lose a $1.07 billion contract with the Italy-based Prysmian Group to supply the 345km cable. Tasmania's Liberal government is in caretaker mode after the state election delivered another large crossbench, some of whom oppose the Marinus project. Ms Finlay accused the Rockliff government of hiding the Marinus Link business case for political gain because it included significant price impacts to pay for transmission infrastructure. The government has denied Mr Rockliff or his staff blocked a briefing, saying the opposition would be briefed in line with caretaker conventions. "We are carefully and methodically working through the details, with a decision expected soon," Mr Duigan said. The undersea electricity and data connector would link Tasmania's northwest with Victoria's Latrobe Valley and allow the smaller state to import surplus solar while exporting hydropower to the mainland grid, where it could help reduce the risk of brownouts. The project was scaled back in September 2023 after the cost of two cables blew out by $1.7 billion to an estimated $5.5 billion. Under the plan, Victoria has a 33.3 per cent share and Tasmania 17.7 per cent, with an option to sell its stake to the Commonwealth on completion. Marinus Link has been touted as a critical component in making Tasmania the "battery" of the nation by increasing the island's capacity to export green power and allow excess energy generated on the mainland to be stored in Tasmania's hydro storage. The first stage is not slated to be finished until 2028/29.
The Australian
9 hours ago
- The Australian
Two injured, woman charged after alleged stabbing at InterContinental Sydney
Two employees at a luxe hotel in Sydney's CBD have been injured after they were allegedly attacked by a co-worker. Police were called to the InterContinental Sydney on Macquarie St at about 2.30am on Saturday after reports of an assault. A 30-year-old woman suffered stab wounds to her upper body, with police believing scissors were used in the alleged attack. Police continue to investigate the incident, though charges are not yet laid. Picture: NewsWire / Monique Harmer Sydney City Police Area Command's Chief Inspector Gary Coffey said police had so far been unable to determine an exact motive for the alleged stabbing. 'At this stage we're unable to confirm the exact motive for this crime other than all three persons involved in this incident are co-workers,' he told media on Saturday afternoon. 'I'm not exactly sure of the circumstances which led up to the attack but you would have to think there was some sort of a, perhaps a dispute this morning in the work environment. 'We have to pay tribute to the co-workers who intervened because the situation could have been a lot worse than it is.' The 30-year-old woman was treated at the scene by paramedics before being taken to St Vincent's Hospital in a stable condition. Police allege a 27-year-old woman was assaulted as she tried to intervene in the altercation, suffering minor injuries. The violent incident took place in one of Sydney's most exclusive hotels. Picture: Google A 31-year-old woman was arrested at the scene. She has since been charged with cause wounding/grievous bodily harm to the person with intent to murder and assault occasioning actual bodily harm. She was refused bail to appear at Parramatta Local Court on Sunday. Police say all three women are known to one another. InterContinental has been contacted for comment.
