Australia goes to the polls on May 3. For the Jewish community, the stakes are high. Since October 7, 2023, it has experienced an outburst of antisemitism which is directly attributable to its long-standing support and solidarity with Israel.
The ruling Australian Labor Party government, spearheaded by its prime minister, Anthony Albanese, and foreign minister, Penny Wong, has overseen a dramatic shift where Australia has abandoned its traditional support for Israel and adopted pro-Palestinian positions.
In addition, it has appeared weak and inept regarding the need to tackle the antisemitism that the extreme left, the extreme right, and the radical Islamists have unleashed.
Australia politicians seek Muslim vote
In the forthcoming election, the incumbent Labor party is offering more of the same as it looks to appease the Muslim vote. The Liberal-National Coalition, under the leadership of Peter Dutton has promised to return Australia to its traditional support for Israel, as well as taking action to confront the scourge of antisemitism.
While Australia’s electoral landscape has long been dominated by the two major parties, general discontent over the years has led to the emergence of minority parties and independents who have managed to achieve success in various electorates.
Most prominent among the minor parties are the Greens. While its roots lie in promoting policies to save the environment, it has become consumed with the Middle East and have adopted extremely hostile policies condemning Israel for committing genocide and being at the vanguard of the pro Palestine demonstrations where the chanting of “intifada” and “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” has been incessant.
Alongside the Greens are the Teal independents, who were funded by wealthy businesspeople led by Simon Holmes à Court. They successfully targeted wealthy inner suburban electorates that were once considered blue ribbon Liberal. Their emphasis on the environment appealed to inner suburban elites and young people. They tend to support policies advocated by the left.
Australia, under a Labor-led government, has suffered economically with high inflation, poor economic performance, and a general failure of most of its policies. In particular, its environmental policies to close down coal mines and eliminate fossil fuels, and replace them with renewable energy, have been a colossal failure.
In Australia’s election history, it is very rare for a government in its first term of power, after being in opposition, to be defeated. Yet, so poor has been the performance of the Albanese-led Labor government that polls two months ago showed a narrow majority for the Liberals to return to power.
Now, in the middle of the election campaign, the picture that is emerging is murky. One of Australia’s most prominent commentators, Greg Sheridan, recently described the situation as follows:
“This is a government that plainly deserves to lose against an opposition that plainly doesn’t deserve to win.”
Reflected in recent polling, this translates into a scenario where neither party will achieve a majority, meaning that either party will need to seek the support of minority parties, such as the Greens and the Teals, to form a government.
Australia’s electoral process is based on preferences, as opposed to a simple first-past-the-post system. This makes voters’ second and or third preferred selection critical in deciding the outcome of an election for a seat. It also results in deals made between parties to secure majorities based on the allocation of such preferences.
To the chagrin of the Jewish community, in many hotly contested seats, including the seat held by Labor’s Jewish attorney general, Mark Dreyfus, the Labor party is entering into deals with the Greens party to exchange preferences, thereby demonstrating its pursuit of power at all costs.
In the likely event that no party achieves an outright majority, it is expected that the Labor party will form a minority government with the support of the Greens. This will involve Labor making concessions on economic policy, which will cause major damage. In addition, the Greens’ obsession with Israel, where they have called for boycotts and embargoes, may also be used to leverage their support.
Reminiscent of what occurred in the recent UK elections, there is the emergence of the Muslim vote where radical Muslims are challenging the incumbent Labor members in six electorates in western Sydney, where Muslims comprise up to 30% of the said electorates. Notwithstanding that the incumbent Labor MPs have been among the vociferous supporters of the Labor party’s shift away from its support of Israel, the campaign by the Muslim extremists is based on the singular issue of Palestine, where they are demanding that Australia sever all ties with the Jewish state.
The prospect of a minority Labor government supported by the Greens is causing extreme consternation and foreboding within the Jewish community and will generate much discussion as to whether Jews have a long-term future in Australia. The same kind of fear that Jews face in the UK, France, and Canada is evident in Australia, too.
Australia’s foreign policy will never influence events in the Middle East. However, its shift away from its traditional support for Israel serves as a major bellwether for Israel’s standing on the international stage.
If countries like Australia can succumb to the moral abyss of the global campaign to delegitimise Israel, who is next?
The United States? It came close under the previous Democratic administration, and current indications are that the Democrats’ trajectory to the left is continuing. Elections now hold huge importance in determining the future of Western civilization.
Romy Leibler is a former prominent business and communal leader in Australia now residing in Jerusalem, Israel.