Minister defends visa decisions as Israel lashes out
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke defended his decision to deny a visa to far-right Israeli politician Simcha Rothman, who was set to undertake a speaking tour of Australia at the invitation of a fringe Jewish group.
The Israeli government retaliated by cancelling the visas of three Australian representatives to the Palestinian Authority and ordering embassy staff to apply extra scrutiny to Australian applications to enter Israel.
But the diplomatic spat erupted on Tuesday night when Mr Netanyahu called his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese a "weak politician" in a social media post.
Mr Burke said the increasingly "isolated" Israeli prime minister was lashing out, like he had done to other Western leaders who in recent weeks had vowed to recognise Palestinian statehood.
"Strength is not measured by how many people you can blow up or how many children you can leave hungry. Strength is much better measured by exactly what Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has done," he told ABC Radio National on Wednesday.
"When there's a decision that we know Israel won't like, he goes straight to Benjamin Netanyahu, he has the conversation, he says exactly what we're intending to do, and has the chance for the objections to be made person-to-person."
In revoking the visas of the Australian diplomats, Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar cited Australia's decision to recognise Palestine, as well as the refusal to grant visas to Mr Rothman and former Israeli minister Ayelet Shaked.
Mr Burke said he had a responsibility to not "hold out a welcome mat" to people with extreme views.
"One of them has described Palestinian children as the enemy, and the other has described Palestinian children as little snakes - as little snakes," he said.
"Now, if anyone wanted to come on a public speaking tour and they had those views publicly expressed about Israeli children, I would block the visa, and I'm going to not have a lower bar for the protection of views that are bigoted views against the Palestinian people."
Opposition home affairs spokesman Andrew Hastie said he didn't agree with Mr Rothman's views but the decision to refuse his visa had further damaged Australia's relationship with Israel.
"The important thing to note is that the relationship with Israel now is at an all-time low, and that's largely because of the Albanese foreign policy incompetence from this government," he told ABC Radio National.
Mr Burke had been "inconsistent" in his application of standards to visa approvals, Mr Hastie added.
British commentator Sami Hamdi was allowed to enter Australia for a speaking tour in 2024, despite earlier comments celebrating Hamas' October 7 attacks, he said.
But Mr Burke pointed to decisions to block people who had expressed anti-Semitic views, such as Kanye West, from entering the country.
"It seems that the coalition only believe I should be rejecting people if they will cause harm to the Jewish community," he said.
Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-chief executive Alex Ryvchin said it was unacceptable for Mr Netanyahu to publicly insult a fellow world leader, but Mr Burke's comments were also out of line.
"... Both parties are acting contrary to the interest of the people they're seeking to represent and serve ... They need to find a new course and a new way of dealing with each other and doing business, because this is entirely counterproductive," he told Sky News.
The Australian government has returned serve after a remarkable sledge by Israel's prime minister, with a senior minister calling out Benjamin Netanyahu for "blowing up" Palestinians and starving children.
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke defended his decision to deny a visa to far-right Israeli politician Simcha Rothman, who was set to undertake a speaking tour of Australia at the invitation of a fringe Jewish group.
The Israeli government retaliated by cancelling the visas of three Australian representatives to the Palestinian Authority and ordering embassy staff to apply extra scrutiny to Australian applications to enter Israel.
But the diplomatic spat erupted on Tuesday night when Mr Netanyahu called his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese a "weak politician" in a social media post.
Mr Burke said the increasingly "isolated" Israeli prime minister was lashing out, like he had done to other Western leaders who in recent weeks had vowed to recognise Palestinian statehood.
"Strength is not measured by how many people you can blow up or how many children you can leave hungry. Strength is much better measured by exactly what Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has done," he told ABC Radio National on Wednesday.
"When there's a decision that we know Israel won't like, he goes straight to Benjamin Netanyahu, he has the conversation, he says exactly what we're intending to do, and has the chance for the objections to be made person-to-person."
In revoking the visas of the Australian diplomats, Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar cited Australia's decision to recognise Palestine, as well as the refusal to grant visas to Mr Rothman and former Israeli minister Ayelet Shaked.
Mr Burke said he had a responsibility to not "hold out a welcome mat" to people with extreme views.
"One of them has described Palestinian children as the enemy, and the other has described Palestinian children as little snakes - as little snakes," he said.
"Now, if anyone wanted to come on a public speaking tour and they had those views publicly expressed about Israeli children, I would block the visa, and I'm going to not have a lower bar for the protection of views that are bigoted views against the Palestinian people."
Opposition home affairs spokesman Andrew Hastie said he didn't agree with Mr Rothman's views but the decision to refuse his visa had further damaged Australia's relationship with Israel.
"The important thing to note is that the relationship with Israel now is at an all-time low, and that's largely because of the Albanese foreign policy incompetence from this government," he told ABC Radio National.
Mr Burke had been "inconsistent" in his application of standards to visa approvals, Mr Hastie added.
British commentator Sami Hamdi was allowed to enter Australia for a speaking tour in 2024, despite earlier comments celebrating Hamas' October 7 attacks, he said.
But Mr Burke pointed to decisions to block people who had expressed anti-Semitic views, such as Kanye West, from entering the country.
"It seems that the coalition only believe I should be rejecting people if they will cause harm to the Jewish community," he said.
Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-chief executive Alex Ryvchin said it was unacceptable for Mr Netanyahu to publicly insult a fellow world leader, but Mr Burke's comments were also out of line.
"... Both parties are acting contrary to the interest of the people they're seeking to represent and serve ... They need to find a new course and a new way of dealing with each other and doing business, because this is entirely counterproductive," he told Sky News.
The Australian government has returned serve after a remarkable sledge by Israel's prime minister, with a senior minister calling out Benjamin Netanyahu for "blowing up" Palestinians and starving children.
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke defended his decision to deny a visa to far-right Israeli politician Simcha Rothman, who was set to undertake a speaking tour of Australia at the invitation of a fringe Jewish group.
The Israeli government retaliated by cancelling the visas of three Australian representatives to the Palestinian Authority and ordering embassy staff to apply extra scrutiny to Australian applications to enter Israel.
But the diplomatic spat erupted on Tuesday night when Mr Netanyahu called his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese a "weak politician" in a social media post.
Mr Burke said the increasingly "isolated" Israeli prime minister was lashing out, like he had done to other Western leaders who in recent weeks had vowed to recognise Palestinian statehood.
"Strength is not measured by how many people you can blow up or how many children you can leave hungry. Strength is much better measured by exactly what Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has done," he told ABC Radio National on Wednesday.
"When there's a decision that we know Israel won't like, he goes straight to Benjamin Netanyahu, he has the conversation, he says exactly what we're intending to do, and has the chance for the objections to be made person-to-person."
In revoking the visas of the Australian diplomats, Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar cited Australia's decision to recognise Palestine, as well as the refusal to grant visas to Mr Rothman and former Israeli minister Ayelet Shaked.
Mr Burke said he had a responsibility to not "hold out a welcome mat" to people with extreme views.
"One of them has described Palestinian children as the enemy, and the other has described Palestinian children as little snakes - as little snakes," he said.
"Now, if anyone wanted to come on a public speaking tour and they had those views publicly expressed about Israeli children, I would block the visa, and I'm going to not have a lower bar for the protection of views that are bigoted views against the Palestinian people."
Opposition home affairs spokesman Andrew Hastie said he didn't agree with Mr Rothman's views but the decision to refuse his visa had further damaged Australia's relationship with Israel.
"The important thing to note is that the relationship with Israel now is at an all-time low, and that's largely because of the Albanese foreign policy incompetence from this government," he told ABC Radio National.
Mr Burke had been "inconsistent" in his application of standards to visa approvals, Mr Hastie added.
British commentator Sami Hamdi was allowed to enter Australia for a speaking tour in 2024, despite earlier comments celebrating Hamas' October 7 attacks, he said.
But Mr Burke pointed to decisions to block people who had expressed anti-Semitic views, such as Kanye West, from entering the country.
"It seems that the coalition only believe I should be rejecting people if they will cause harm to the Jewish community," he said.
Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-chief executive Alex Ryvchin said it was unacceptable for Mr Netanyahu to publicly insult a fellow world leader, but Mr Burke's comments were also out of line.
"... Both parties are acting contrary to the interest of the people they're seeking to represent and serve ... They need to find a new course and a new way of dealing with each other and doing business, because this is entirely counterproductive," he told Sky News.
The Australian government has returned serve after a remarkable sledge by Israel's prime minister, with a senior minister calling out Benjamin Netanyahu for "blowing up" Palestinians and starving children.
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke defended his decision to deny a visa to far-right Israeli politician Simcha Rothman, who was set to undertake a speaking tour of Australia at the invitation of a fringe Jewish group.
The Israeli government retaliated by cancelling the visas of three Australian representatives to the Palestinian Authority and ordering embassy staff to apply extra scrutiny to Australian applications to enter Israel.
But the diplomatic spat erupted on Tuesday night when Mr Netanyahu called his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese a "weak politician" in a social media post.
Mr Burke said the increasingly "isolated" Israeli prime minister was lashing out, like he had done to other Western leaders who in recent weeks had vowed to recognise Palestinian statehood.
"Strength is not measured by how many people you can blow up or how many children you can leave hungry. Strength is much better measured by exactly what Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has done," he told ABC Radio National on Wednesday.
"When there's a decision that we know Israel won't like, he goes straight to Benjamin Netanyahu, he has the conversation, he says exactly what we're intending to do, and has the chance for the objections to be made person-to-person."
In revoking the visas of the Australian diplomats, Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar cited Australia's decision to recognise Palestine, as well as the refusal to grant visas to Mr Rothman and former Israeli minister Ayelet Shaked.
Mr Burke said he had a responsibility to not "hold out a welcome mat" to people with extreme views.
"One of them has described Palestinian children as the enemy, and the other has described Palestinian children as little snakes - as little snakes," he said.
"Now, if anyone wanted to come on a public speaking tour and they had those views publicly expressed about Israeli children, I would block the visa, and I'm going to not have a lower bar for the protection of views that are bigoted views against the Palestinian people."
Opposition home affairs spokesman Andrew Hastie said he didn't agree with Mr Rothman's views but the decision to refuse his visa had further damaged Australia's relationship with Israel.
"The important thing to note is that the relationship with Israel now is at an all-time low, and that's largely because of the Albanese foreign policy incompetence from this government," he told ABC Radio National.
Mr Burke had been "inconsistent" in his application of standards to visa approvals, Mr Hastie added.
British commentator Sami Hamdi was allowed to enter Australia for a speaking tour in 2024, despite earlier comments celebrating Hamas' October 7 attacks, he said.
But Mr Burke pointed to decisions to block people who had expressed anti-Semitic views, such as Kanye West, from entering the country.
"It seems that the coalition only believe I should be rejecting people if they will cause harm to the Jewish community," he said.
Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-chief executive Alex Ryvchin said it was unacceptable for Mr Netanyahu to publicly insult a fellow world leader, but Mr Burke's comments were also out of line.
"... Both parties are acting contrary to the interest of the people they're seeking to represent and serve ... They need to find a new course and a new way of dealing with each other and doing business, because this is entirely counterproductive," he told Sky News.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Sydney Morning Herald
an hour ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Australia-Israel relations at new low after Netanyahu attacks Albanese
Benjamin Netanyahu's personal attack on Anthony Albanese as 'weak' marks a new low in Australia-Israel relations. Relations between the two nations, which have been historic allies since the establishment of Israel after World War II, have been deteriorating for more than a year. Following the brutal attack by Hamas on Israel on October 7, 2023, Israel had enormous sympathy from the international community. The horrific images of people being attacked, kidnapped and killed drew widespread condemnation. But Israel's unrelenting, scorched-earth approach to Gaza since then has done enormous damage to that global goodwill, and contributed directly to Albanese's decision to recognise a Palestinian state at the United Nations next month. The government's decision to bar far-right Israeli MP Simcha Rothman from entering the country escalated tensions between the two nations to another level. Home Affairs minister Tony Burke has form in cancelling visas for people he believes could damage social cohesion in Australia. This includes rapper Kanye West, because of his anti-semitic remarks. Of course, there is a big difference between denying a celebrity rapper a visa and denying a member of another nation's parliament, and Israel's tit-for-tat response to the Rothman decision – revoking visas to Australian diplomats working in the occupied West Bank – was arguably a proportional diplomatic response. Netanyahu's furious personal attack on Albanese, including calling him a 'weak' politician who had abandoned Australia's Jews, was not.
The Age
an hour ago
- The Age
‘Not the right fit': Children to be diverted from NDIS under scheme reboot
Disability Minister Mark Butler has declared the National Disability Insurance Scheme is 'not the right fit' for thousands of Australian children with autism or developmental delay, and revealed they will be directed away from the $46 billion scheme from mid-2027. In a major address on the scheme's future, Butler said a new system called 'Thriving Kids' would be established to support families in schools, childcare centres and playgroups from July 2026, and fully roll out a year later. The Albanese government will also seek to reduce annual NDIS growth from its current trajectory of 10.2 per cent to a maximum of 5 to 6 per cent, so that the scheme remains financially sustainable and keeps the support of the Australian public. 'We are at a fork in the road right now,' Butler told the National Press Club on Wednesday, in his first address on the NDIS since acquiring responsibility for the scheme in May. 'Children with mild to moderate levels of developmental delay and autism should not, in my view, be on a scheme set up for permanent disability. It is not the right fit. Loading 'But I recognise it is the only port available to so many parents, tens and tens of thousands of parents, and I think we should treat as a matter of urgency the need to provide them with a more suitable system of broad-based mainstream support.' The NDIS was intended to support about 410,000 people, but now serves almost 740,000 – a figure that grows each quarter. More than half of new participants are under nine, and seven in 10 people joining the scheme have autism as a primary diagnosis. 'I think most Australians would be alarmed to know that now, one out of every 10 six-year-olds are on the NDIS, including 16 per cent of 6-year-old boys. That's one in every six boys in the average grade 2 classroom,' Butler said.
Sydney Morning Herald
an hour ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
‘Not the right fit': Children to be diverted from NDIS under scheme reboot
Disability Minister Mark Butler has declared the National Disability Insurance Scheme is 'not the right fit' for thousands of Australian children with autism or developmental delay, and revealed they will be directed away from the $46 billion scheme from mid-2027. In a major address on the scheme's future, Butler said a new system called 'Thriving Kids' would be established to support families in schools, childcare centres and playgroups from July 2026, and fully roll out a year later. The Albanese government will also seek to reduce annual NDIS growth from its current trajectory of 10.2 per cent to a maximum of 5 to 6 per cent, so that the scheme remains financially sustainable and keeps the support of the Australian public. 'We are at a fork in the road right now,' Butler told the National Press Club on Wednesday, in his first address on the NDIS since acquiring responsibility for the scheme in May. 'Children with mild to moderate levels of developmental delay and autism should not, in my view, be on a scheme set up for permanent disability. It is not the right fit. Loading 'But I recognise it is the only port available to so many parents, tens and tens of thousands of parents, and I think we should treat as a matter of urgency the need to provide them with a more suitable system of broad-based mainstream support.' The NDIS was intended to support about 410,000 people, but now serves almost 740,000 – a figure that grows each quarter. More than half of new participants are under nine, and seven in 10 people joining the scheme have autism as a primary diagnosis. 'I think most Australians would be alarmed to know that now, one out of every 10 six-year-olds are on the NDIS, including 16 per cent of 6-year-old boys. That's one in every six boys in the average grade 2 classroom,' Butler said.
