Penny Wong has hit back at Liberal Senator Michaelia Cash after being grilled on her response to former Australian of the Year Grace Tame’s speech at a protest against visiting Israeli President Isaac Herzog.
During Monday’s rally outside Sydney Town Hall, Tame fired up the crowd with the chant ‘from Gadigal to Gaza, globalise the intifada’.
The slogan triggered immediate backlash across politics, with Pauline Hanson and Barnaby Joyce demanding Tame be stripped of her Australian of the Year title.
NSW Premier Chris Minns and Queensland Premier David Crisafulli have both called for the phrase to be banned, suggesting it can be interpreted as a call for violent uprising.
At Senate estimates, Cash pressed Wong on how the government interpreted the phrase ‘globalise the intifada’ and whether it has spoken to Tame.
Wong said she was ‘not aware’ whether the government had raised the matter directly with Tame, and that it was not her responsibility to.
‘The Foreign Minister of Australia doesn’t ring up everyone who has said things during this debate,’ she fired back.
Wong then pointed to comments from Australia’s Envoy for Antisemitism, Jillian Segal, highlighting her view that the phrase ‘was used to whip up hatred against Jews’ and said that she ‘thinks [Segal] is right’.
Penny Wong was asked if she would condemn the comments made by Grace Tame (pictured)
‘We have to turn down the temperature in this country,’ Wong said.
Cash then demanded Wong outright ‘condemn’ Tame’s remarks, but Wong refused to fuel the fight.
‘I would rather people did not use it… (but) I would not be drawn into another cycle of outrage,’ she said.
‘I do not believe Australians want our politicians to dial up the outrage when we know this is a divisive and difficult issue for our country.’
Cash snapped back, insisting Australians expected a clearer stance.
‘It was the president of Israel who was attending this country where the chants were made. I would put it to you that Australians would want to condemn… an Australian of the Year using a violent chant at a public rally,’ Cash said.
Wong went on the offensive by accusing Cash of skipping the January vote on strengthened hate‑speech laws, introduced after the Bondi Beach terror attack in December.
‘You come in here and dial up the outrage, but when it counts, when you could vote to strengthen our hate speech laws, you refused to,’ Wong said.
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Penny Wong (pictured) said she would not be ‘drawn into another cycle of outrage’
Michaelia Cash (pictured) called on Wong and the Albanese government to condemn Tame
‘You went directly against the antisemetism envoy’s report and the calls from the Executive Council of Australian Jewry.’
Wong again urged calm.
‘If you want to have a bipartisan approach to antisemetism, I am up for that. I don’t think we do that by dialling up outrage and conflict.’
‘What we need to do is return to a place where we can discuss our differences… on Gaza… with respect.’
Her remarks echoed those of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who dismissed suggestions that he should criticise Tame.
During Question Time, Albanese was pressed on whether he would ‘unequivocally condemn this disgusting display of antisemitism’ by Tame.
Albanese responded that he was not seeking ‘political opportunities.’
