Federal politics live: Peter Dutton vows to tighten migration laws to target anti-Semitism after synagogue arson

The PM is also asked about the Coalition’s policy that would allow $32.5 million in funding provided to the Jewish community to be spend on armed guards at synagogues and schools.

Is there a response from the government on whether that federal money should be able to be used for armed guards?

Anthony Albanese says the government worked with the Jewish community to provide the security package.

He also took aim at those seeking to use the incident for political point scoring.

“This is a time where the country should be looking for national unity, not looking for areas of distinction and difference over every issue,” he says.

“I would have thought that every Australian would be horrified by what occurred last Friday and would be equally prepared to condemn it and oppose it.”

Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus said it was a time for national unity. 

“It’s not a time for some political leaders and some political parties to be looking for difference,” he says.

Anthony Albanese is asked for his response to Benjamin Netanyahu linking the Melbourne arson attack to Labor’s “anti-Israeli position”.

The Israel PM also linked it to Australia’s vote at the UN last week calling for an end to Israel’s presence in Occupied Palestinian Territory.

Albanese says the position was in line with 157 other nations, including four of the Five Eyes countries: Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and the United Kingdom.

He says the government still supports a two-state solution.

As flagged earlier, the Coalition have double down on its criticism of the Albanese government for referring to Islamophobia while calling out a rise in anti-Semitism.

The PM is asked if anti-Semitism is a bigger problem than Islamophobia. He declines to directly engage with the question.

“Anti-Semitism is a major threat and … has been on the rise. We have seen incidents such as this that have been targeted specifically at the Jewish community,” he said.

Anthony Albanese says he’s spoken to two state leaders following their call for a national cabinet to be called to discuss the rise in anti-Semitism.

Victorian Premier Jacinta Allen and WA Premier Roger Cook have both said they would attend a meeting if it was called.

The PM said if they want to have a “phone hook-up” he’s welcome for that to occur.

Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus says anti-Semitism in Australia is at the highest he’s experienced in his lifetime.

Dreyfus, who is Jewish, tells reporters that sentiment has been growing over the past year.

“But our government has been resolute in standing with the community and we will continue to be resolute in standing with the community to do everything that needs to be done.”

Anthony Albanese says he’s yet to meet with the Jewish community in Melbourne because he had commitments in Perth over the weekend.

“This happened very early Friday morning,” he said.

“By the time I had taken off from Sydney, I’d had a full briefing from the AFP commissioner. I’d spoken to the president of the community.

“I’d spoken to the Special Envoy for
anti-Semitism, Jillian Segal. I was fully engaged”.

The PM says was in briefings in Canberra this morning, including a meeting of the national security committee, but he will visit.

He also batted away questions he was playing tennis on Saturday morning while in Perth instead of visiting the local community.

ASIO Director-General Mike Burgess is also in attendance. He says the spy agency will be assisting police with their investigation.

“We’re also conducting our own inquiries to ensure there is no ongoing threat similar to the attack we’ve seen in Melbourne,” he says.

He says at this stage ASIO has “no evidence to suggest” that is the case.

“The national terrorism threat level remains at probable.”

Anthony Albanese has also confirmed a special taskforce has been established to tackle anti-Semitism.

He says the attack on the Adass Israel synagogue was the third arson attack.

AFP Commissioner Reece Kershaw says Special Operation Avalite will be an “agile and experienced squad” of counterterrorism investigators who will focus on threats, violence, and hatred towards the Australian Jewish community and parliamentarians.

“In essence, they will be a flying squad
to deploy nationally to incidents,” he says.

He’s joined by Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke, Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus and AFP Commissioner Reece Kershaw.

The PM confirms the national security committee met to discuss the arson attack on a Melbourne synagogue last week.

If you’ve been glued to the blog and just saw me say that was all I had for you today, I am here to inform you there has been a change of plans.

We’ve just been told the PM will hold a press conference shortly. Stay tuned.

Government frontbencher Mark Butler has welcomed the decision to treat the Melbourne synagogue arson attack as a terrorist incident, saying it will mean the full resources of Victorian Police, ASIO and the AFP can come together to “bring those perpetrators to justice.”

The fire, which ripped through the Adass Israel Synagogue in Ripponlea in Melbourne’s south-east, has left Australia’s Jewish community reeling.

Butler said the attack was an appalling act of anti-Semitism.

“This has just been a shocking period in our history I think, the steepness, the ferocity in the rise of anti-Semitism is something we must all be determined to stamp out,” he said.

“This latest act – an act of particular hatefulness given it was directed at a place of worship, I think should appall every reasonable-thinking Australian.”

Private health funds have been told to go back to the drawing board after Mark Butler rejected their first request to increase premiums.

Each year, the health minister had the task of signing off on how much insurers can increase prices from April 1. About 15 million Australians hold private health insurance.

Butler confirmed he’d received the submissions a month ago and following advice, he would be asking the health funds to “sharpen their pencils and present to me a lower increase for their products”.

“I am determined to arrive at an outcome that is in the interests of fund holders, fund members themselves, particularly at a time of considerable pressure on household budgets,” he said.

The health minister declined to outline just how much the funds wanted to increase premiums by, but previous news reports suggest it could be as high as 6 per cent.

It’s the second year in a row Butler has rejected the health funds initial offer.

Health Minister Mark Butler has warned health insurers if they don’t stop using “loophole tactics” to charge Australians more for private health cover, he’ll “force them to stop.”

The Commonwealth Ombudsman has released a report on the back of Choice Magazine’s analysis about health insurers. 

“This ‘loophole’ tactic is a sleight of hand that makes the best value policies disappear and forces customers to take out more expensive policies,” he said.

“Insurers are putting a new name on the same policy, with a higher price tag. It’s a cheap trick that makes your health insurance more expensive, and it’s got to stop.

“Let me be clear: we will be monitoring this closely. If insurers don’t stop this practice immediately, then I will force them to stop.”

In a statement, Private Healthcare Australia – the industry’s peak representative – said health funds would work with the government to “thoroughly examine” problems with Gold policies.

It said when health funds cancel products, it’s usually because those products are making a loss, and more expensive policies reflect the underlying cost of healthcare.

Earlier, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton repeatedly referred to the synagogue attack as a “bombing”.

Victoria Police Commissioner Shane Patton was just asked about that description.

“There was no incendiary device involved in this. No actual bomb,” he said.

“But the accelerant used has caused the same outcome.”

The Commonwealth Ombudsman has raised concerns with some private health insurers closing and opening new policies to charge new customers significantly more money for almost identical cover.

The ombudsman’s investigation was sparked by Choice Magazine’s report in February which found some health insurers were using loopholes to increase premiums.

The ombudsman analysed complaint data and found some insurers had been closing Gold policies to new customers, but then introducing new Gold policies that were almost identical and making customers pay significantly more.

It’s called “product phoenixing” and means new customers are paying hundreds of dollars more than existing customers for basically the same policy.

The ombudmsan compared the average premiums for old Gold policies versus new Gold policies and found for one insurer that the 2023 average premium of a new policy was 21 per cent higher than the average premium of a closed policy.

The ombudsman noted that the behaviour doesn’t breach health regulations, and it’s a matter for government whether it changes those regulations to stop the practice.

But it noted the practices were restricting consumer choice, and that it had raised its concerns with Health Minister Mark Butler

Police are currently providing an update on the arson attack on the Adass Israel synagogue in Melbourne.

Commissioner Shane Patton says the incident was likely terrorism.

My colleagues down in Melbourne are blogging the press conference live. You can tune in here:

Nauru President David Adeang also gave a short statement.

He said the pact would help strengthen the the Pacific Island nation’s economy and address debanking.

“The United Nations classifies Nauru as the most vulnerable nation in the Pacific and the fifth most vulnerable nation in the world,” he says.

“We appreciate Australia’s steadfast
support as we try to address our unique development challenges while we continue diversifying our economy, exploring a unique opportunities and safeguarding our region’s peace and stability.”

Anthony Albanese continued:

“This is a good day for Australia. This is a good day for Nauru and it is a good day for the security and resilience of the Pacific region.

“We are both part of the Pacific family. This treaty
reflects that.

“I thank president Nauru for his friendship, for his partnership and for his leadership.”

(ABC News: Ian Cutmore)