Sussan Ley says she has not spoken to Anthony Albanese since the day of the Bondi massacre
Sussan Ley has not spoken to Anthony Albanese since the day of the Bondi terror attack, she says, as their state counterparts’ swift, bipartisanship efforts cast doubt over the unity of the federal response.
On Monday, the Opposition Leader announced a draft terms of reference for a Federal Royal Commission into anti-Semitism, despite the Prime Minister consistently resisting calls for an investigation of that scale.
While outlining the Coalition’s proposed probe, Ms Ley confirmed the Opposition was willing to work with the Government to thrash out the necessary details, and urged Mr Albanese to recall Parliament.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.The tenor of the federal response is in stark contrast to state leaders, with NSW Premier Chris Minns and Opposition Leader Kellie Sloane jointly working to fast-track tougher laws on gun ownership, before Parliament was recalled earlier this week.
Speaking to Seven’s Sunrise, Ms Ley was grilled about federal bipartisanship and asked point-blank whether she had spoken to the Prime Minister since the day of the attacks.
“Apart from a brief conversation on the night that this took place, no, but we have offered bipartisan support,” she said.
“I did that again yesterday. I did that a few days ago, when we came up with new laws that we are very well prepared to help the Prime Minister draft, should he decide to bring the Parliament back.
“And the approach around the terms of reference for the Royal Commission, which my team has drafted, we’re happy to sit down and refine those terms of reference, work with the Government. I made that offer yesterday. I made it the day before I make it today.”
Asked whether federal leaders should be showing more unity, Ms Ley excoriated Mr Albanese’s response to the tragedy, including the eight days it took for him to apologise to the Jewish community.
“I’m not going to tolerate the empty rhetoric and weak response that we’ve seen from this Albanese Government,” she said.
“I am angry that they have failed this community. I’ve been there for the last eight days.”
“And the feeling, the anger, the dismay, the distress, is palpable.
“And look, it’s taken the Prime Minister eight days to say the word sorry. If it takes him another eight days to call a Royal Commission, then that is a shame.”
Marles defends PM’s message of unity
Appearing on the same program a short time later, Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles was grilled on Ms Ley’s claim, before defending the Government’s approach, saying Mr Albanese was intent on pushing a message of unity.
Asked about whether Australians could feel confident a bipartisan effort was on the table, Mr Marles said the Government was “seeking to bring (people) together.”
“It’s not for any kind of partisan fight. The question that you have asked comes from an attempt to make this a partisan issue. That’s not what we are seeking to do. We will continue to walk a path of … making sure we learn every lesson that we can learn, so that this never happens again.
“And there will be time to go through all the issues that have occurred here, but right now … This happened nine days ago and the only words that you have heard from the Prime Minister over that period of time are words which have sought to bring the country together.”
Pressed on why it took Mr Albanese more than a week to apologise to Jewish communities for the terrorist attack, Mr Marles said: “Well, we’ve very focused from the moment that this attack happened to do everything we can to try and unify the country.”
“The Prime Minister feels very heavily the responsibility of this attack happening on our watch,” he said.
