Concerns raised over Carr’s Sydney Water role

NSW Jewish Board of Deputies president David Ossip has reiterated the community’s position on “highly irresponsible and offensive comments” made by former Premier Bob Carr after he was appointed to the board of Sydney Water last week.

Premier Chris Minns last week defended the appointment – which comes with an $80,000-per-year salary – despite ongoing concerns over assertions Carr made about the “Jewish lobby” earlier this year.

Carr was interviewed by Muslim YouTube channel OnePath Network in August, in which he described “the Israel Jewish lobby in Australia” as “a foreign influence operation” designed to “put the interests of Israel above the interests of Australia”.

“No one else has an operation as well funded,” Carr said. “We’re not going to be intimidated by the pressure of the Jewish lobby in Australia.”

Ossip said then that Carr had “completely crossed the line”.

“Carr has insinuated that there is something malevolent or sinister about Jewish Australians exercising their basic democratic right to engage in the political process,” Ossip said.

“This is despicable. Carr has discredited himself and given legitimacy to some very dark theories which will sadly fuel hatred against the Jewish community.”

This week, following Minns’s defence of the appointment in Parliament last week, Ossip told The AJN, “Our views about Mr Carr and his highly irresponsible and offensive comments about the Jewish community have not changed and won’t change for as long as he espouses such views.”

Member for Vaucluse Kellie Sloane questioned the appointment in Parliament last Tuesday, noting that neo-Nazis outside the building had held up a sign reading “Abolish the Jewish lobby” the previous Saturday, echoing similar rhetoric.

Minns responded, “I do not agree with Bob Carr on all matters. We have different views on different issues. I do not subscribe to everything that Bob Carr has said in the past, but he should surely be judged on the sum total of his contribution to public life and his expertise on issues.

“We believe Bob Carr is qualified to do the job.”

Questioned again later in the day, this time by Shadow Attorney-General Alister Henskens, Minns deflected to antisemitic comments made by former One Nation MP Mark Latham, pointing out that the coalition continued to work with him.

The next day, Minns drew a distinction between Carr’s comments and the neo-Nazi rally. “There’s a big difference between a Nazi rally and a political critique, even one that I don’t agree with, and I should say that I don’t agree with it,” he told journalists.