Jonathan Edwards, Host: 24 minutes to eight. The Foreign Minister, Penny Wong joins us. Minister, good morning to you and thank you for your time.
Foreign Minister: Good morning. Good to be with you.
Edwards: Did the government drop the ball on antisemitism in Australia? There are a lot of calls saying that the government didn't adopt recommendations that were put forward quick enough.
Penny Wong, Foreign Minister: First can I say that what we saw on Sunday was an attack on Jewish Australians and an attack on Australia. And we are all grieving. The country is grieving, particularly the Jewish Australian community. And when it comes to antisemitism, we have taken action. But we all know we all need to do more. And that requires leadership from Government, from the media, from community leaders, from all of us.
Jade Robran, Host: So, Mrs. Wong, have you, do you believe that the Government has dropped the ball with antisemitism? We've seen ever since those attacks on October 7, we have had so many incidences in and around Australia and the outpouring of frustration around the country is that the Government just hasn't been strong enough.
Foreign Minister: Look, I understand the grief that so many are feeling, and I'd say two things. First is we have acted and we will continue to act. We criminalised hate speech, advocating violence – the first government to do that. We criminalised doxing. We've put a ban on the Nazi salute and hate symbols. There is always more to do. And one of the things I would say is what these attackers seek to do is to divide us. They want to cause division in our country. So, we need to make sure that we come together, and all Australians are safer and the country is stronger when we stand together. To take inspiration from people like the man Ahmed al-Ahmed, who ran towards the attacker and disarmed him, showed so much courage, the courage of the first responders, the courage of so many. And that really says something about what country we are.
Edwards: Yeah, it certainly does, Minister. There's a lot of concerns coming forward and we're learning more and more about the history of these offenders, the fact that they were able to proceed to the Philippines, complete training in armed, you know, truly horrific training. Have you reached out to your counterparts in the Philippines and tried to understand what took place as a part of this training?
Foreign Minister: Jono, I've spoken to quite a number of our counterparts this week and I'll be speaking to more today. All have offered their condolences and we're grateful for it. Yes, I have engaged with the Foreign Secretary of the Philippines. I'm grateful for the condolences she offered on behalf of her country. You understand why I can't go into the details of all of our discussions, but I will say to you that we are long-standing partners on security matters and that will continue.
Edwards: How do these offenders move back and forth from the country with the purpose of training as terrorists and remain seemingly unmonitored and able to get to the stage where they have multiple firearms, explosives, renting an Airbnb to train. How do they get to that stage without monitoring from ASIO or any government individuals?
Foreign Minister: Well, first on the guns. I think many Australians are questioning why one person can have six guns and that's why the Government, the Prime Minister, has moved to tighten gun control laws. But the second point I'd make about the travel to the Philippines, this is a matter that is under ongoing investigation. The NSW Police have confirmed the visits, but they have also said that why these men went to the Philippines, where they went and so on, is part of the active investigation. So you'll understand why I can't comment too much on that.
Robran: Minister, can you understand why Australia does not want to hear about gun reforms right this moment? They're thinking it's almost a distraction from the Government. Right now they want to hear about immigration laws and checks and tightening and the fact that antisemitism is alive and well in our country and has seemed to be ignored. We've had a report from Jillian Segal that has almost sat on the Prime Minister's desk from where we sit for months and months and months collecting dust.
Foreign Minister: Jade, I'd say a few things. One is I don't think anyone looking at this can believe that we should not look at gun law reform. Of course we should look at gun law reform. We also must do more to eradicate antisemitism in this country. Now, I spoke to the envoy, Jillian Segal, on the day of the attack. We have acted on a number of recommendations of the report. We've criminalised hate speech, we've criminalised doxing. As I've said we've banned the Nazi salute and hate symbols. But I absolutely believe that we all have more to do. The Government has more to do. The media, community leaders, faith leaders, all of us. Because division and hate, antisemitism – these make us weaker as a country.
Robran: So what needs to be done? I don't think we need, I think we need to stop saying we all need to do better, we all need to fix it. But how do we fix it?
Foreign Minister: Well, and as Ms. Segal has said, there are many things we need to do, including through education and respectful dialogue and articulating who we are and what principles as a country brings us together. And we have been a country that has had people of all faiths, of all heritages come to our country and we have lived respectfully and in peace. And that is what we have to hold onto and that is what we have to keep working on.
Edwards: Minister, what did you make of John Howard's criticisms yesterday? He has absolutely slammed the Prime Minister calling, you know, saying that he lacked moral leadership, that he hasn't been strong enough on antisemitism. There are reports circling this morning that the Prime Minister had to be pushed to discuss reforms on antisemitism rather than just gun control. I guess as we scroll back to this, do you regret recognising Palestine as a state?
Foreign Minister: Well, there's a few things you've put to me there. First, I'm not going to get into a political debate at this time when we have this tragedy that the country is mourning. I think we need to bring people together, not to divide them. The second point I would make is the Prime Minister put, wanted to discuss both gun control and antisemitism at the National Cabinet. Because we know that to confront antisemitism we require support and engagement and resolve at all levels of government. We have to be resolved, we have to resolve to do this. And as the PM said on Sunday night, we are. Finally just on the recognition of Palestine. And I just remind you we recognised Palestine alongside the United Kingdom and Canada and France in order to contribute to peace and that over 150 countries have now recognised Palestine.
Robran: You had a conversation with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio following the Bondi Beach terror attack. What was the key message that Australia wants the world to hear right now?
Foreign Minister: Look, I think one of the important parts of what I can do this week is to make sure we do engage with the world because this is global. Obviously, the world is shocked by what has happened, just as all Australians are. And Secretary Rubio offered his condolences. We appreciate that. We both spoke of Ahmed al-Ahmad and what that said about our country and we spoke of the importance of working together and we'll continue to do that.
Edwards: I guess just finally, what have we learned from this attack and previous attacks, and how concerned are you at the moment that there may be these type of ISIS sleeper cells in our state and in our country at the moment?
Foreign Minister: Well this is a horrific act of evil. A targeted antisemitic attack on Jewish Australians. And we all express our condolences to all affected. And what we have to do as a community is to come together and stand together because our country is stronger and we are all safer when we do that.
Robran: Minister, the overwhelming response from our audience, and I guess that's echoed around the country, is they want action. Can we expect any more announcements from the Government in the coming days?
Foreign Minister: I think you can expect that the government will act with resolve to eradicate antisemitism and to bring people together.
Robran: Minister Wong, thank you very much for your time.
Foreign Minister: Good to speak with you, thank you.