Josh Frydenberg

Bad weather was not enough to deter Jess Wilson’s enthusiastic supporters coming together this morning in Kew to get rid of a bad Labor Government.

Lots of familiar faces and new ones too.

With only weeks to go to election day the case for change in Victoria could not be stronger.

Deeply shocked and saddened to hear of the attack on Helen Haines MP, a decent and widely respected representative of her local community.

My thoughts are with her and her family at this difficult time.

Irrespective of our politics, we must urgently come together as one and put an end to political violence and hate.

It has no place in our country.

Ahead of Tuesday’s launch of ‘A Grateful Son’ I had the opportunity to sit down with The Australian’s Paul Kelly. His interview appeared over the weekend with his commentary below.

To purchase the book click here:

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On this day three years ago, October 7, 2023, Hamas committed a barbaric attack murdering 1200 innocent people in Israel including Sydney grandmother Galit Carbone and taking another 251 people hostage.

The evil on display that day was not confined to foreign shores.

Within hours, here in Australia, Islamic preachers and their followers celebrated the death and destruction and unleashed what would be an unprecedented wave of violent antisemitism that culminated in Australia’s deadliest ever terrorist attack at Bondi.

What we have seen in Australia over the last three years has been nothing short of a disgrace.

Proud Australians of Jewish faith have been targeted in their places of worship, sidelined in their professions and harassed on campus all while our leaders have been weak and ineffective.

Yet now more than ever we need strong leaders, not bystanders, with the moral clarity and courage to take on the extremists and drive the hate which is now mainstream to the fringes of society where it belongs.

The Prime Minister must join the dots.

He must recognise as Paul Kelly points out in today’s Australian “the more the Israel-Palestinian conflict is driven into our culture and politics, the more conflict and violence will occur in Australia“.

Chants that we see regularly on our streets like ‘Globalise the Intifada’, ‘from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free’, ‘zionists are terrorists’ and ‘death to the IDF’ are not just words they are explicit calls for violence and they have no place in our country.

Standing in the Prime Minister’s courtyard, Anthony Albanese said on 18 December last year, four days after the Bondi attack: ‘Of course more always could have been done…anyone in this position would regret not doing more’.

Well a truer word could not have been said.

The Australian Government was warned every day after the attack of October 7 to do more and didn’t.

Now it is being warned again to do more.

Only weeks ago the Director General of ASIO, Mike Burgess made public that 16 serious terrorist incidents have been disrupted in Australia since Bondi last year.

The national terrorist threat level is currently at probable.

Unless we learn the lessons from what has taken place in Australia over the last three years, we will tragically see more violence and tragedy.

We must urgently change course.

There is no time to waste.

Words of comfort on this solemn day are not enough.

Shocked and saddened to hear of the passing of Bruce Baird.

Much will be written about his significant contribution to politics both federal and state, but what I will always remember him for is his mile wide smile and infectious zest for life.

My wife Amie and I had the privilege one summer to regularly swim with him (or more accurately behind him) as ring in’s to his Bold and Beautiful crew. We got to know him well, sharing many laughs and loving his company.

Our thoughts are with Julia, Mike and Steve and their families at this difficult time.

May his soul rest in peace.