Senator the Hon Michaelia Cash
Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs
Leader of the Opposition in the Senate
Senator for Western Australia
TRANSCRIPT
Sky News Newsday with Kieran Gilbert
20 August 2025
Topics: Israel-Australia relationship
E&OE
Kieran Gilbert
Let’s return now to the worsening spat between Israel and Australia. I want to bring in the Shadow Foreign Minister, Michaelia Cash. Senator Cash, thanks for your time. The Israeli Ambassador to Australia, he’s urging calm. He says things need to calm down so this doesn’t spiral further. What’s your reaction?
Senator Cash
Well, in the first instance, Kieran, how did we even get to this situation where the relationship between a key friend and an ally who are fighting for their life against a terrorist organisation who are dedicated to their destruction has actually imploded whilst the terrorists are praising Australia and are absolutely delighted with our Prime Minister, Mr. Albanese. So I think that it is incumbent upon Mr. Albanese to urgently take steps to rectify this relationship. Kieran, this is a long and enduring relationship between Australia and Israel. It goes back decades and decades and decades of friendship to when we fought in the Battle of Beersheba, as you know. But I think a lot of Australians forget we have a key intelligence relationship with Israel. In other words, they provide us with the intelligence that we need to keep us safe. And you recall back in 2017 the information that was provided to us by the Israelis actually assisted us in thwarting a terrorist attack on an airliner that was destined to leave Sydney. So again, this is a long and enduring relationship. It is a fundamental failure of foreign policy and diplomacy by our Prime Minister, and he needs to urgently assure Australians that he is going to take steps to get this relationship back on track for the benefit of both countries.
Kieran Gilbert
The Labor front bencher Tony Burke has said that strength isn’t decided by how many people you blow up, how many children you make hungry. The government is going to clearly, not going to backtrack on its position when it comes to Israel and when it comes to recognising a Palestinian state. Do you accept that?
Senator Cash
Well, let’s be very clear here – I think despite his calm and measured tone this morning, they were possibly some of the most disgusting comments I have ever heard come out of a Minister in a government. What Tony Burke also forgot to say is this – Hamas could end the war tomorrow by releasing the hostages and laying down their arms. The comments were, quite frankly, deliberately inflammatory and playing to a domestic audience. They have done nothing, Kieran, to reassure the Jewish community here in Australia. Let me tell you the Jewish community in Australia, they feel alone. They feel they are not being listened to by this government. And if you look at the letter that the Prime Minister of Israel sent to Mr. Albanese, it directly refers to the rise of antisemitism in this country and the impact it is having on Australians of Jewish faith. They are just like you and I. They are Australians who now live in fear in this country. And the question they have put to me is this: why has Mr. Albanese failed now to fast track the recommendations and the report coming from his own hand picked envoy for antisemitism, Jillian Segal. They are looking at this now as a domestic issue in relation to antisemitism, and they want answers from Mr. Albanese. You can have a diplomatic spat, but seriously, what are you doing here at home to implement your own envoy’s recommendations? Mr. Albanese, quite frankly, has a lot to answer for.
Kieran Gilbert
Senator Cash, the government argues it’s part of an international effort that it is, you know, consistent with when it comes to the recognition of Palestine, alongside like minded nations like, like the United Kingdom, Canada and France. In fact, the letter you referred to there was a very similar one sent from Prime Minister Netanyahu to President Macron.
Senator Cash
Well, again, domestically, it goes straight to the issue of the Albanese government’s failure to actually stand up for Jewish Australians and take positive action. I’ll give the Albanese government credit, Kieran, my God they’re good with words, my God they are, and words that they often then mislead with. What about their actions on the ground? Their actions on the ground dating back now, as we know, to just weeks after the October 7 2023 massacre, where they failed to sign on to a statement that like minded allies signed on to, that actually condemned in the strongest form, antisemitism. And now look where we are today. Jewish Australians feel alone. They feel abandoned. They feel they are not being listened to by this government, and you have a government that has done nothing, nothing than consider recommendations given to them by their own hand picked envoy, Jillian Segal, that the Jewish community have embraced and said, if they were implemented, they would make a difference on the ground. So quite frankly, I’m sick and tired of the words that come out of Mr. Albanese’s mouth. He needs to urgently, urgently advise Australians how he repairs this relationship that is long, it is enduring, it is of benefit to both countries. But in particular, I think Australians do need to be reminded of the intelligence relationship that we have with them that has in the past prevented a terrorist attack on our shores. In other words, Australians did not die, Kieran, let’s be honest about what that was, because of the information provided to us by the Israelis. But at a domestic level, stand up today, Mr. Albanese, and tell the Jewish community you’ll bring them into a round table. How about we have a round table with them, where you put the special envoys recommendations on the table, and you say to them, starting this afternoon, how do I implement them and start actually addressing, by way of action, antisemitism here in Australia, as opposed to my soft weasel words?
Kieran Gilbert
It’s getting back to where we began the conversation, I asked you about the Ambassador’s statement. Alex Ryvchin, well respected leader of the Jewish community, Co-CEO of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry. He too has been critical of Benjamin Netanyahu. He says that’s not the way to do it. So he has also expressed concerns about the way that’s been handled. And I want to ask you as well, though, about the way the Israelis have also pulled accreditation for our diplomats in the West Bank off the back of the visa being blocked. Was, was that commensurate with what was done by Mr. Burke?
Senator Cash
I think this is the only functioning democracy in the Middle East – that is currently fighting for its life against a terrorist organisation that has it written in its charter that it is dedicated to its destruction. I can understand the frustration of the Israeli government, and in particular, that it does feel let down and abandoned by a key friend and ally in Australia. The issue I think we have now in Australia is, and Greg Sheridan, I think he articulated this incredibly well yesterday, on your show, we have now no influence on the ground in Israel, and that is absolutely shameful. Now, I’ve spoken to members of the Jewish community this morning, and I agree that a war of words on Twitter is probably not the best way to handle this situation. I think the letter, on the other hand, directly addressed the issues on the ground that the Jewish community currently feel in relation to being alone, living in fear and the inaction when it comes to implementing the Segal recommendations. But more broadly, as I said, this government now needs to urgently explain to Australians how you can end up in a situation where the relationship between a key friend and ally over decades and decades and decades, has now imploded, but the terrorist organisation against whom they are fighting and are dedicated to their destruction, Kieran, is now delighted with our Prime Minister and openly praising him. I think that is just an utterly appalling situation to be now, to now be in as a country, and it is at the feet of Mr. Albanese as our Prime Minister.
Kieran Gilbert
Do you think just finally, I want to zero in on what your counterpart, your opposite number, Penny Wong, the Parliament, the Foreign Minister Penny Wong has said that Israel is isolating itself here. Do you accept that through its response and you know, there was, there is huge sympathy, of course, off the off the back of October 7, and there was, I think internationally, a lot of support for Israel to defend itself. A couple of years on, do you accept that Israel has any direct accountability for the way that that isolation is happening in the words of Foreign Minister Penny Wong?
Senator Cash
I think that this is a functioning democracy in the Middle East that is fighting for its life, and you should never, ever forget that fundamental principle, Kieran. Could they have handled this better? Of course, they could have. They’ve lost the PR war, which unfortunately, is probably not something they think about on a daily basis. But if I go back to fundamental principles, as opposed to what Penny Wong is focusing on. The fundamental principle is this, Israel is the only functioning democracy in the Middle East. They are fighting for their life against a terrorist organisation who is dedicated to their destruction. Do they feel let down by countries like Australia? Absolutely. Do the Jewish community here in Australia feel alone? Do they feel that they’re not being listened to by the Albanese government? Absolutely, that is something they now live and breathe on a daily basis. So do I think Israel could have done more? Absolutely. However, the basic principle is this, they’re a democracy. They are a friend. They are an ally. But not only that, they have in the past provided us as a country with information that is ensured that we have thwarted a terrorist attack on a plane destined to leave Sydney that could have killed hundreds of Australians.
Kieran Gilbert
Shadow Foreign Minister Michaelia Cash, we appreciate your time. Thanks for joining us.
Senator Cash
Great to be with you.
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