MEDIA RELEASE 27 December 2025
Shadow Attorney-General and Federal Member for Fisher, Andrew Wallace MP, says a deeply disturbing truth has been exposed: antisemitism is no longer confined to the fringes of Australian politics but has taken root inside sections of the Labor Party, reinforcing the urgent need for a Commonwealth Royal Commission.
As reported in the Australian today, an explosive letter from the Labor Israel Action Committee to the NSW Labor leadership warned that antisemitic attitudes have become pervasive within parts of Labor’s rank and file. The letter urges Prime Minister Albanese and NSW Premier Minns to confront the issue, warning of a “rising tide of antisemitism, including inside the Labor Party” and alleging that “extremely hateful language” is frequently used at ALP branch meetings but edited out of official records.
Mr Wallace said it is deeply concerning that antisemitism has been allowed to take root within one of Australia’s major political parties.
“Equally concerning to the antisemitism within Labor ranks is Prime Minister Albanese’s failure to stamp it out.”
As former Labor MP Mike Kelly warned, “I think everyone in the Labor group in a leadership position needs to call these things out when they become apparent. The standard you walk past is the standard you accept.”
Mr Wallace said that since October 7, 2023, Jewish Australians have increasingly felt abandoned as the Albanese Government failed to act decisively in response to surging antisemitism and departed from decades of bipartisan support for Israel, including through Labor’s unilateral recognition of Palestinian statehood.
“These decisions are now being exposed not merely as bad foreign policy, but as political gestures aimed at appeasing bigoted elements within Labor’s own ranks. It is increasingly clear that Labor’s problem goes well beyond mere criticism of Israel.”
The letter also refers to comments by Bob Carr describing an “Israel Jewish lobby in Australia” as a “foreign influence operation.” The notion of a shadowy lobby manipulating governments recalls one of the most notorious antisemitic tropes in history. Invoking Israel does not make the accusation any more acceptable or less dangerous. Recent events illustrate that the use of Israel or Zionism as a fig leaf for antisemitism can no longer be tolerated.
Mr Wallace said these revelations sit within a broader pattern of senior Labor figures alienating the Jewish community, including Labor National President Wayne Swan’s recent apology for reposting a social media comment criticising those who booed Prime Minister Albanese at the Bondi vigil.
“Taken together, this paints a troubling picture: a government slow to act against antisemitism, reluctant to confront it within its own ranks, and repeatedly dismissive of the concerns of a community living in grief and fear”.
Despite sustained calls from Jewish community leaders, business figures, senior barristers and judges, former and current Labor MPs, and Australians across the political spectrum and all walks of life, the Prime Minister continues to refuse to establish a Commonwealth Royal Commission.
Mr Wallace said until now, it has beggared belief that the Albanese Government continued to dig its heels in despite these overwhelming calls.
“The question must be asked. Is the Albanese Government unwilling to act because confronting antisemitism would provoke backlash from elements within its own party? Or is it concerned about what a Commonwealth Royal Commission might expose, not only about antisemitism in our society, but about how deeply it has embedded itself within the Labor movement?”
This explosive report reinforces what many Australians already know: antisemitism has become dangerously entrenched, reaching even into mainstream political institutions. That is precisely why a Commonwealth Royal Commission into antisemitism is now unavoidable.
Mr Wallace said the Coalition has released comprehensive Terms of Reference and made clear it stands ready to work constructively with the Government to act immediately.
“The case for a Commonwealth Royal Commission is overwhelming. Prime Minister Albanese must take a moral stand, even against his own rank and file and act now”.
[ENDS]
Media Contact: Brendan West – 0402 556 646 – Brendan.west@aph.gov.au
