Howard slams govt
Howard claimed Prime Minister Albanese failed to provide proper leadership following the October 7 attacks.
Former Prime Minister John Howard has delivered a scathing critique of the Albanese government’s response to the Israel-Hamas conflict, suggesting a leadership vacuum contributed to rising antisemitism in Australia.
Speaking while campaigning last weekend for Liberal candidate Ro Knox in Wentworth, Howard claimed Prime Minister Anthony Albanese failed to provide proper leadership following the October 7 attacks in 2023.
“When you’re the boss of the country and something terrible happens, you’ve got to make it plain what you believe,” Howard told The AJN. “A lot of the antisemitism we’ve seen, sadly in our country, would not have occurred, because people take a lead from the Prime Minister.”
Howard reserved particular criticism for Foreign Minister Penny Wong, claiming she “goes out of her way to insult Israel, one of our oldest, closest and most reliable friends”, while describing the government’s UN voting record on Israel as “terrible”.
The former Liberal prime minister warned voters against supporting independents, arguing only the Liberal Party had maintained “an unambiguous record of support” for Israel. He cautioned that Labor’s preference deals with the Greens signalled trouble for Australia-Israel relations.
“Anybody who gives a preference to a Green is not sympathetic to Israel,” he said, suggesting Albanese would “compromise on anything, including the state of Israel” to maintain power in a minority government with Greens support.
Albanese has repeatedly stated he will not do any such deal.
Reflecting on his own relationship with Jewish Australians, Howard highlighted his admiration for their contribution to Australia, particularly post-World War II migrants and more recent arrivals from South Africa.
“They’re an integral, fundamental, vibrant part of our community,” Howard said. “They should not have to worry about antisemitism, they should enjoy to the full, the good bounty that living a life in Australia gives to all of us.”
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