Julian Leeser: ‘Election of great consequence’ for Jews
Jewish Liberal Member for Berowra says ‘no regrets' over Voice stance; slams Labor on antisemitism, warns of Greens-supported minority government
Member for Berowra Julian Leeser says he has “no regrets” about resigning from the Opposition front bench to support the Voice referendum in 2023, despite it setting back his political career and the proposal’s eventual defeat at the ballot box.
The Liberal MP, who has since returned to the Coalition front bench in a more junior role, said it was vital for politicians to “stand for the things that they are for” in public life.
“I stood for the Voice because I believed it would be good, just as I stood for our community when it has been in its time of trial, to stand for greater protections for our community and support for the State of Israel,” Leeser told The AJN.
The Sydney MP drew a pointed contrast between his principled stance and what he described as a failure of Labor MPs to take similar action on issues of antisemitism and support for Israel following the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks.
“My greatest criticism of figures in the Labor Party who pretend to support our community and support Israel is that none of them actually followed my lead and resigned from their front bench on a point of principle,” he said. “I believe, had there been some resignations on the issues of antisemitism and Israel, that may well have changed the government’s perspective on these issues.”
Leeser, who is Jewish, painted a largely positive picture of community support within his electorate following the October 7 Hamas attacks, describing numerous touching instances of solidarity from non-Jewish constituents. “I love my community, and I think my community’s really rallied to me after October 7,” he said.
“There’s not a day that goes by, even now, where somebody doesn’t stop me and say, ‘I just want to say to you, I really admire what you’ve done standing up against antisemitism. I’m not Jewish, but this isn’t what our country’s supposed to be about’.”
He recounted how people from local Anglican churches brought him flowers “because I was the only Jewish person they knew” and how faith leaders across his electorate worked together to demonstrate that Christian communities stood against antisemitism.
The MP was particularly moved when invited to attend midnight Mass with Bishop Anthony Randazzo, where the Bishop devoted his entire homily to standing with the Jewish community.
“Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve for Christians is like Kol Nidre is for us,” Leeser explained. “Imagine on Kol Nidre, a Rabbi devoting their sermon not to issues of their own community’s concern … that’s what Bishop Anthony did.”
Despite these positive experiences, Leeser delivered a blistering critique of the Albanese government’s response to rising antisemitism, particularly on university campuses.
“I am disgusted that the Albanese government didn’t have the moral fortitude … the fact that they could not even call a judicial inquiry into antisemitism on campus. I think for me, that was when I saw that there was really a moral darkness at the heart of that government,” he said.
Leeser, who co-chairs the Parliamentary Friends of IHRA (International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance), also highlighted the group’s pre-October 7 work in writing to universities encouraging them to adopt the IHRA definition of antisemitism. He expressed disappointment that so few institutions had done so.
The Liberal MP was scathing about the prospect of a minority Labor government supported by the Greens after the upcoming federal election, warning there is “nothing that Anthony Albanese and Labor won’t sell out in order to cling to power.”
“The Coalition put the Greens last, and it says everything about the values of the Labor Party that they would rather preference a party who seeks the destruction of our people over the Coalition with whom it has more in common,” he said.
“The Greens will extract a heavy price” to prop up a minority Labor government, he added, raising the spectre of Greens leader Adam Bandt as Foreign Minister and Mehreen Faruqi as Home Affairs minister.
“You can only imagine how dangerous that will make life in this country for people, not only in our community, but all law-abiding Australians.”
Leeser rejected any suggestion the Coalition was out of the election race despite current polling, saying voters would only truly engage after Easter. He identified cost of living, energy prices, and security concerns as the key issues for the broader electorate, while noting that national security and foreign policy were paramount for the Jewish community.
The MP didn’t mince words when offering his closing thoughts for Jewish voters ahead of the election. “The Jewish community is not stupid, and right-thinking Australians are not stupid,” he said. “We are not going to be lambs voting for Pesach.
“This election is an election of great consequence for our community, and it’s therefore important that the community votes for the only party that has consistently stood with our community, with its leadership and its interests, and that is the Coalition. It’s not the Labor Party. It’s not the Teals, and it’s certainly not the Greens.”
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