A conversation for the times
Sky News Host Sharri Markson and Federal Opposition Leader Peter Dutton headlined “Behind the Scenes Conversation” at a sold-out function held at Sydney’s Moriah College.
Peter Dutton and Sharri Markson Photo: Giselle Haber
The concept for the event was the brainchild of Sharri Markson and Carole Pillemer, director of the major sponsor, The Orah Fund, with ticket sales going to JCA.
JCA President Ian Sandler welcomed Senator Dave Sharma, Senator Sarah Henderson, Senator Holly Hughes, Julian Leeser, Kelly Sloan, Richard Shields, and guest of honour, Peter Dutton, who had come to Sydney especially for this event. The Opposition Leader received a standing ovation on his entry to the auditorium.
Sharri Markson acknowledged the political and media guests as having “made a world of difference to the world of public political debate” and welcomed Sky News chief executive Paul Whitaker, as well as News Corp personalities Mark Calvert, Chris Kenny, Caroline Marcus, Paul Kelly and Darren Davidson. She emphasised that “no other media organisation in the country has given as clear-eyed support for Israel and the challenges it faces as Sky News and News Corp”.
Ms Markson opened saying “We live in dark times at the moment, but I want today to be uplifting because there is reason for hope”. That is evidenced in that “for thousands of years our enemies have tried to destroy us and we are here today ….. with courage and spirit (including) several holocaust survivors, (who) are living, breathing examples of the determination to prevail over the worst evil that humanity has ever seen”. She referred to the threat of “social media” as evidenced by the 50 million views of the false “All eyes on Rafah” and believes that we can “turn the tide”, using Josh Frydenberg’s “Never Again” documentary, Julian Leeser’s private member’s bill to investigate “the rot in our university campuses”, and Peter Dutton’s suggestion that education include visits to Holocaust museums as examples.
Ms Markson said that “there were many topics with which you can disagree and still remain friends….. antisemitism is not one of them” and Martin Luther King’s statement that the greatest hurt “is the silence of our friends”. The “shameful” action (and inaction) of police and political leaders has allowed antisemitism to become “fashionable”.
A ceasefire, advocated by FM Wong and PM Albanese, leaving 125 hostages in the hands of Hamas, was analogous to WWII allies allowing the retention of 125 victims in one of the Nazi concentration camps.
Peter Dutton, Shaari Markson, JCA CEO Alain Hasson, JCA President Ian Sandler Photo: Giselle Haber
Sharri Markson told of her former close friendship with Anthony Albanese until she realised that he was unaware she was Jewish when he said to her that “Australians don’t care about Israel”. At the federal Labor level “we see spineless moral equivocation to court votes”.
Her referral to Peter Dutton as “the alternate Prime Minister of Australia” caused prolonged applause and cheers, stating it was a “matter of fact to say that when others have had tortured debate about how to vote at the UN, Dutton hasn’t wavered…. in support of the democracy of Israel”.
Introducing Peter Dutton, joining her on the podium for a public chat, Ms Markson asked about the Albanese government’s demand for a ceasefire, and the “moral confusion of people like Penny Wong calling on the good guys to stop fighting the bloodthirsty terrorists”. He responded that the government is “torn internally” because of the growth of the Teals and Greens (to whom he referred as “a party of hatred”) and the importance to them of western Sydney. Ms Markson commented that the “idea that Muslim voters in a few marginal seats …. could determine our foreign policy is extraordinary.”
Peter Dutton referred to the inadequately vetted Gazan “refugees” already admitted to Australia put our country at risk. He asked those who were members of the Labor party to “stay involved” to fight the hard left and antisemitic factions.
Referring to the October 9 Sydney Opera House events, Mr Dutton said he believed “that a catastrophic mistake was made in the early hours after October 7 and certainly the capitulation around the response to the Opera House…… the lack of clarity at that point has allowed a compounding of the hatred that we see on our streets and campuses….. and it has been a significant abrogation of national leadership”.
Chris Kenny, Caroline Marcus and Senator Dave Sharma Photo: Giselle Haber
In response to Ms Markson’s question of “moral confusion” comparing the response to 911 and Bali bombing and immediate blaming of Israel for every tragedy in Gaza, quoting the fire caused by the Hamas munitions dump rather than the Israeli bombing, Mr Dutton agreed that it “comes back to antisemitism”. He further stated that for Holocaust survivors in Australia to no longer feel that they are in a “safe haven” is “a national shame and it breaks my heart.” At the national security level, “Israeli intelligence has avoided terrorist attacks in Australia.”
Referring to antisemitism at Universities, Mr Dutton said the vice-chancellors are “weak”, and although universities have always been on the left of politics, their denial of hate speech is a “smoke screen”, and police have been incorrectly reticent in their lack of enforcement of the law. Asked what he would have done had he been Prime Minister, Mr Dutton replied that he “would have made it very clear to the Australian Federal Police Commissioner and the Director General of ASIO that he had zero tolerance for this behaviour and that the police should enforce the law without hesitation.” He further said that if the law was deficient, it could be corrected very quickly and “passed through the parliament in a single day”. That this event was at a school where it was necessary to be protected with armed guards, as it is during school times “is not the case at a Catholic school or an Anglican school or a Muslim school or any other place of gathering of young people across the country”. “If we don’t learn the lessons of history then we stand condemned”.
In conclusion, Peter Dutton said that “the fight will never be over”. Furthermore, he would gone to a meeting such as this should the problem have been for the Indian, Chinese or any other community. He again received a standing ovation.
Following JCA president, The New South Wales Jewish Board of Deputies president’s David Ossip’s appeal for the CSG, Sharri Markson introduced the discussion panel – Chris Kenny, columnist with The Australian, Sky TV host Caroline Marcus, senior reporter for Sky News, and Senator Dave Sharma, former Australian ambassador in Israel.
Chris Kenny reminisced on his time living in Bellevue Hill when his young sons asked why there were armed guards around Jewish schools and other places. They now understand.
Caroline Marcus has children at a non-Jewish preschool, where there are several Jewish students and said it also now needs security. “That should not happen in Australia”. She reported being told that “what is happening to the children in Gaza happens to your children as well. …. It is sickening but will not cower us into silence, but the opposite. It strengthens our resolve”.
Dave Sharma “never thought (he) would see it like this in Australia”, having experienced racing to bomb shelters during his time in Israel. Fighting the current spate of antisemitism “matters more profoundly for the character and future of our nation.” If authorities turn a blind eye to the demonisation of a minority in our community, “it is only a matter of time before the populist mob decided to descend upon another target, and that will be the end of Australia as we know it”.
The question as to where the line is to be drawn was discussed in the context of the four-year-old’s Hamas-themed birthday party, doxing of Jewish artists, etc, with people’s legitimate right to demonstrate protest and support. That other conflicts, Sudan, Yemen, Syria, Turkey, etc, where many more people have been killed, did not attract such outpourings is indicative of “the driving factor”.
In response to the question of whether support for Hamas is a breach of the law, Senator Sharma said, “It should be”. Antisemitism is a matter for the whole community, especially since the only arrest has been of a man whose crime was to carry an Israeli flag. Law enforcement officers see the behaviour of Labor politicians as conflicted, resulting in a lack of direction, therefore inaction.
Concerning media bias, Caroline Marcus quoted a poll of ABC journalists revealing 40% voted Green. The panel agreed that “Never Again” should have been aired on the ABC.
The vote of thanks was by Josh Frydenberg via video, in which he implored the audience not to “be bystanders. Call out and stamp out antisemitism”.
The overall attendance was 730 guests.
