The Prime Minister has called a national cabinet meeting in response to a series of anti-Semitic attacks. In the latest incident, a multi-faith childcare centre in Sydney's south-east was set alight and spray painted with anti-Semitic graffiti in the early hours of this morning. Opposition leader Peter Dutton says the Prime Minister is not doing enough to address the issue.
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00:00Well, the Prime Minister has confirmed he will convene a National Cabinet meeting after
00:07a spate of anti-Semitic crimes in recent months.
00:11He will hold the meeting with state and territory leaders this evening.
00:15This of course follows that latest attack in Sydney's east where a childcare centre
00:18was set alight and vandalised with anti-Semitic graffiti.
00:23He says that he has condemned the incident and says the Commonwealth will help support
00:28New South Wales authorities in hunting down those responsible.
00:33He also says that they will face the full force of the law under a special operation
00:38that was set alight, a special task force operation, Avelite, that was set up last year
00:43to investigate anti-Semitic crimes.
00:46Mr Albanese again confirming that he will hold a National Cabinet meeting at five o'clock
00:51today.
00:52Yes, the National Cabinet will convene on that and there's a couple of other issues
00:57today.
00:59One of the things that is occurring, what is more important, is action and one of the
01:04things that we've seen today, we've outlined the arrests that have been made, the fact
01:12that here in New South Wales, I just have attended a press conference which included
01:17the New South Wales Premier and the Acting Police Commissioner who outlined the range
01:23of arrests that have occurred.
01:26Operation Avelite has signalled its first arrest was made last Thursday.
01:32This afternoon we'll hear from the AFP Commissioner and it will be an opportunity for us to discuss
01:40collectively the responses that are being made by state and territory governments and
01:46the coordination with the Commonwealth.
01:49And today's National Cabinet meeting, Pablo, comes after sustained criticism from the Coalition
01:54over the Government's handling of anti-Semitism.
01:58This issue has become politically contentious and the Prime Minister has been under sustained
02:02pressure to hold a National Cabinet meeting.
02:05The Federal Opposition Leader, Peter Dutton, first called on the Prime Minister to do so
02:09over a year ago.
02:11We did hear from him this afternoon.
02:13He says that people of Jewish faith are living in fear and the Prime Minister is not doing
02:18enough to address this issue.
02:20The fact is that people of Jewish faith in our country are living in fear at the moment
02:25and for the last 15 months, Australians more generally, but particularly people of Jewish
02:31faith, have begged their Prime Minister to provide leadership and to provide deterrence
02:35to those who would seek to conduct themselves illegally and in a racist way in our country.
02:42We should note that the Prime Minister did meet with the Premiers of New South Wales
02:46and Victoria and as well as the AFP last week in response to a number of incidents
02:52in those states.
02:53We have also heard from Australia's special envoy against anti-Semitism, Gillian Segal.
02:59She also called for a full meeting of National Cabinet.
03:02She has welcomed this decision and says that she looks forward to any outcome that leads
03:07to meaningful legal reform.