Interview - Sky News

PETER STEFANOVIC: A shocking development emerged from National Cabinet last night when the AFP boss, Reece Kershaw, explained that foreign actors might be the ones stirring trouble here by paying local criminals with cryptocurrency to carry out antisemitic attacks like the one we saw at a Sydney daycare centre yesterday. Joining us live is the Education Minister, Jason Clare. Minister, good to see you. Can I just start off with your thoughts on that development?

JASON CLARE, MINISTER FOR EDUCATION: It's terrifying, isn't it, the idea that criminals overseas might be paying criminals here in Australia to perpetrate these antisemitic acts. This is what the AFP Commissioner told National Cabinet overnight that might be happening. They're collaborating with Five Eyes countries, so the US, the UK, Canada and New Zealand, to see if they can track this down and whether this is in fact happening.

STEFANOVIC: Is that terrorism?

CLARE: I think very, very clearly, wherever an event like we saw two nights ago, where a child care centre is bombed, or for that matter last year, where a synagogue is firebombed, that's designed to stoke fear and terror in the community. Police can nominate the name that they attach to this, but I suspect most Australians, when they see this, will see that as an act of terrorism.

STEFANOVIC: And do you believe that it is?

CLARE: Of course it is. Of course it is. It's designed to stoke fear in the community. 
What sort of scumbag would blow up a child care centre, Pete? But that's what's happened two nights ago, it's an act of antisemitism, pure and simple. There's no place for that sort of poison in Australian society or anywhere around the world. We've seen the sort of evil that that can wreak in the lifetime of our grandparents. The way this stops, though - these are violent criminals. The way this stops is to hunt them down and lock them up wherever there's a spate of violent crime, the way it stops is the work that our police and our security agencies do to hunt them down and lock them up. And the Premier yesterday of New South Wales said eight people have been arrested and locked up. But there's obviously more morons out there. And so, the work that these taskforces are doing, the more police that are now attached to them, is critically important. I think the AFP Commissioner said yesterday as well that there's about 15 active investigations that he's leading and that he anticipates potentially more arrests soon. I think all Australians would be hoping that that's the case.

STEFANOVIC: Is the Government at fault for this, Minister, and other attacks with its slow response so far?

CLARE: No. I reject that. Think about this, Pete, within two weeks of October 7th, we allocated $25 million to the Jewish community to help provide protection for everything from synagogues to schools to preschools. We've set up police taskforces. We've got legislation in the Parliament to criminalise hate speech with real jail time attached to it. The bottom line here is, if we're going to stop this, you've got to hunt down the crooks that are doing it and lock them up. Every time, as I said a moment ago, where there's a violent spate of crime, the way it stops is when police arrest the perpetrators and put them behind bars.

STEFANOVIC: Why so long to get National Cabinet together, then?

CLARE: National Cabinet is only just one part of this. The police taskforces were set up months ago. The funding to help protect places of worship and schools was allocated two weeks after October 7. National Cabinet can help. In that collaboration with that database is going to help to share intelligence between states and territories. But the key thing here is the work that our police do. And as I said, eight have been arrested already. But there's more out there that are obviously still perpetrating these hate crimes and the way to stop this is to lock them up.

STEFANOVIC: But a lot of this comes from messaging from the top two, outside police, from government. And there is a belief that your government isn't proactive enough. It's too reactionary, which is why it keeps on happening. Do you accept that?

CLARE: No. No, I reject that. I reject that entirely. We can't let what's happening on the other side of the world tear us apart here. Wherever there's been an act of antisemitism, the Prime Minister has called it out. Back that with money, back that with police, back that with taskforces, back that with legislation. Whether it's legislation to ban hate speech, whether it's legislation to ban Nazi symbols, whether it's legislation to ban doxing. The Prime Minister has acted. Now, this is no place for politics, mate. This is too important for that. When people are firebombing synagogues or child care centres, the risk is that people get killed, not just buildings burnt down. And that's why the action that police are taking from the AFP to the NSW and Victorian police is so important.

STEFANOVIC: Just a final one here, Minister. Was it a known goal by the government to initially plan to send Sue Lines to Poland for the Auschwitz anniversary?

CLARE: Well, Pete, the decision was made by the Government late last year that two senior Ministers would represent the Government at that.

STEFANOVIC: The organisation isn't aware of that, though.

CLARE: Well, I've got to tell you, the advice given to me is that the decision was taken late last year by the Government that it would be two senior Ministers that would lead that delegation, and that'll be Penny Wong and Mark Dreyfus.

STEFANOVIC: Why was Sue Lines even on the list, though, given what she's said about Israel in the past?

CLARE: Well, all I can tell you, mate, is that the decision was made last year that the people that would represent the Australian Government would be Ministers in the Government, and they are Penny Wong and Mark Dreyfus.

STEFANOVIC: Alright, the Prime Minister will be asked these questions, no doubt. He's got a press conference coming up next hour, but Jason Clare, as always, really appreciate your time.