Labor MP Josh Burns has accused Opposition leader Peter Dutton of intervening during a press conference to prevent Liberal senator James Paterson from reading a statement in response to the
.
At the time, Burns had lost his voice and was at a joint press conference with Paterson at the Adass Israel Synagogue as a show of unity, following the arson attack on 6 December, which the
.
Speaking on ABC Radio National (RN) Breakfast on Tuesday, Burns said Paterson had agreed to read the statement on his behalf due to his inability to speak but alleged Dutton intervened to stop him from doing so.
Josh Burns, the member for Macnamara, represents the electorate that includes the Adass Israel Synagogue, which was targeted in a firebombing on Friday. Source: AAP / Joel Carrett
"Unfortunately, right before we got on, Peter Dutton intervened and told James he wasn't allowed to read the statement," Burns told RN.
"I wanted to stand out with James and present a united front on this, and Peter Dutton decided it was more important to play partisan games than to allow my words, which I physically couldn't speak, to be read out."
His statement was instead read by Daniel Aghion, president of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ).
Burns praised the leadership of the synagogue for being "heroic and stoic" in the wake of the attack and said he wasn't interested in "the partisan games or personal attacks".
Speaking to RN later on Tuesday morning, Paterson responded to Burns' comments, saying he felt "very sorry that Josh Burns and his community have been abandoned by the Labor Party in the wake of this terrorist attack".
"But it is not the role of a Liberal frontbencher to act as a spokesman for a Labor MP. One of the many senior Albanese government ministers from Victoria should have been there to speak if Josh was not able to," Paterson said.
Dutton calls Albanese's antisemitism response 'weak'
On Monday, Dutton criticised Labor and Burns for failing to speak up against antisemitism, saying Burns hadn't "stood up to a weak prime minister".
"The job for a Labor MP is to stand up to a prime minister who has put the political interests of the Labor Party ahead of our national security interests," he said.
The Jewish community previously expressed frustration over a perceived lack of action by authorities to stamp out antisemitism, with the ECAJ arguing Australia was at a "point of crisis" in a letter sent to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Sunday.
"Many in our community now question their future in this country," it wrote.
"We ask you, prime minister, to reflect on how this has been allowed to occur."
Former Liberal treasurer Josh Frydenberg, who is a member of Melbourne's Jewish community, said: "The government's weakness (in calling out antisemitism) has emboldened those who hate and emboldened those who harm."
On Sunday, Albanese defended his government's support of the Jewish community, including announcing $32.5 million for community security, banning Nazi salutes and hate symbols, appointing the nation's inaugural antisemitism commissioner and criminalising doxing.
"This is a time where the country should be looking for national unity, not looking for areas of distinction and difference over every issue," Albanese said.
"I would have thought that every Australian would be horrified by what occurred last Friday and would be equally prepared to condemn it and oppose it. It's un-Australian, I've said that. It's designed to create fear in the community, and it should be opposed."
Writing on social media platform X on Monday, Burns responded to Dutton's comments, saying antisemitism is "not a political issue for me. It is a lived reality".
"My priority right now is on supporting our community in the aftermath of a disgraceful antisemitic terror attack."
Federal antisemitism taskforce
On Monday, Albanese called for national unity as he unveiled Special Operation Avalite, led by specialists from the AFP and the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation.
Officers will be given expanded powers to investigate incidents like the arson at the Adass Israel Synagogue, and officers and analysts will be deployed nationally to investigate instances of urging violence against members of groups, advocating terrorism or genocide and using communications services to menace, threaten or harass.
ASIO launches investigation into Melbourne synagogue attack
AFP commissioner Reece Kershaw said: "Unfortunately, in Australia today, those of Jewish ethnicity or religion are being targeted because of who they are."
"This is a crime. This needs to stop."
— With additional reporting from the Australian Associated Press
