Interview - ABC News Breakfast

BRIDGET BRENNAN: Let’s get more in Federal Politics and bring in the Minister for Education, Jason Clare. Good morning to you, Jason Clare.

JASON CLARE, MINISTER FOR EDUCATION: Good morning, Bridget.

BRENNAN: Good to speak with you. What would be your message to Jewish Australians right now who are feeling very frightened after the attacks we’ve seen unfold in Australia?

CLARE: My message would be that what happened the night before last is truly despicable. I think all Australians are asking themselves what sort of scumbag would attack a childcare centre of all things? You’ve really got to ask yourself that question.

The other message I’d want to make very clear that this is an act of antisemitism, pure and simple, and that there’s no place for the poison of antisemitism in Australia or, for that matter, anywhere around the world. We’ve seen in the lifetime of our grandparents the evil that can wreak, and the way to stop this is to hunt down the criminals, the violent criminals, that have perpetrated these crimes and lock them up.

BRENNAN: Jason Clare, Israel’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel spoke to the ABC exclusively saying she’s concerned, very concerned, about the rise in antisemitism in Australia and says the Australian Government hasn’t done enough. Is that fair?

CLARE: I disagree with that. Within two weeks of October 7, we allocated an extra $25 million to help provide extra security for schools and preschools and synagogues right across the country. We’ve now more than doubled that funding. In addition to that we’ve set up a federal police taskforce. The New South Wales Government, the Victorian Government have set up state police taskforces as well. We’re introducing legislation. There’s legislation in the parliament to make hate speech a crime and real jail time attached to that.

Bottom line here is we can’t let what’s happening on the other side of the world tear us apart here in Australia. There’s been too much bloodshed overseas, and there’s too much hate here in Australia.

BRENNAN: So then why, despite those actions, do you hear from Jewish Australians who say they feel that not enough has been done? I mean, are those concerns worrying to you, that people still feel like we haven’t come to grips with this problem?

CLARE: Of course it is. And when synagogues are torched, when child care centres are torched, when antisemitic graffiti is scribbled over buildings, I can totally get it, why Jewish Australians are fearful at the moment. And what they want is what I want and what I think all Australians want, and that is for these violent criminals to be caught and locked up. There’s about eight people, I think, the Premier of New South Wales said yesterday that have already been arrested. But it’s pretty obvious that there’s more morons out there that are still perpetrating or want to perpetrate these crimes. That’s why the work of the police task forces is so important.

I was heartened overnight to hear the AFP Commissioner said that they’ve got 15 active investigations and that they hope that more arrests will come shortly. I think all Australians would be hopeful of that.

BRENNAN: And then alongside a criminal response or a legislative response, what work do you think needs to be done to bring communities together, particularly post a ceasefire? I mean, you’re from a community that represents a lot of people from different faiths. What are the practical steps you think can be taken to unite Australians right now?

CLARE: Well, let me give you the example of Rabbi Zalman Kastel who runs a program called Together for Humanity. And that’s Jewish leaders, Muslim leaders, Christian leaders working in schools that are helping to break down the barriers between different groups and helping to build tolerance and, more than that, understanding between different communities and help to break down racism wherever it occurs. Australians know this – we’re not born racist, it’s something that’s learnt. Programs like that in our schools are very, very important.

BRENNAN: Peter Dutton says you could have convened, or the Prime Minister could have convened a National Cabinet meeting months earlier. Why didn’t that happen, especially after an arson attack on a synagogue?

CLARE: Peter Dutton just wants to say something negative about everything at the moment. National Cabinet is an important part of this, but it’s just one of the things that we’re doing. We set up the police taskforces a couple of months ago, and they’re already starting to have an effect. As I said, the money to help protect synagogues and schools and preschools was allocated only two weeks after October 7.

Can I make the point as well, Bridget, that for the child care centre that’s been torched the night before last, we’ve taken steps now to make sure that the workers continue to be paid through the child care subsidy and that parents don’t get slugged for a service that they can’t use. We’re also working with the families at the moment to make sure that their kids can get into centres nearby. And I announced yesterday that the cost of rebuilding the centre, above any costs that aren’t covered by insurance, will be covered by the Australian Government and the New South Wales Government on a 50-50 basis.

BRENNAN: Yeah, I imagine those families have been through a lot in the last 24 hours. We really feel for them. Just quickly on another issue, Jason Clare, to the US – how concerned is Australia that the United States is pulling out of the Paris Climate Agreement and the World Health Organisation?

CLARE: First, I should congratulate the President on being sworn in again as President of the United States. Australia’s got a very, very close relationship with the US, obviously our major security partner. We’ll agree with the US on some things and not on others. When it comes to action on climate change and the Paris Agreement, that’s an area where we don’t agree.

BRENNAN: Jason Clare, have a good day.

CLARE: Thank you.