Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has again refused to condemn former Australian of the Year Grace Tame after she was accused of using a vile antisemitic slur.

Ms. Tame led the chant “From Gadigal to Gaza, globalize the intifada!” at a rally opposing the visit of Israeli President Isaac Herzog, a slogan that may fall foul of proposed NSW hate-speech laws. It was not delivered as abstract political rhetoric, but with unmistakable anger and hostility.

“Gadigal” refers to the traditional custodians of the land on which Sydney stands. The chant therefore explicitly links Sydney to Gaza and invokes the language of decolonization, not metaphorically but geographically and ideologically. Let us be clear about what was being implied.

During Question Time, Shadow Communications Minister Melissa McIntosh called on the Prime Minister to “unequivocally condemn this disgusting display of antisemitism.” Mr. Albanese declined. Instead, he offered a familiar deflection: “We need to not continually look for political opportunities from what is a devastating situation. We need to turn the temperature down.”

This refusal is revealing. Once again, Albanese’s conduct exposes the emptiness of the justifications he previously used to delay the Royal Commission, insisting urgency and procedural limits tied his hands. Yet when political pressure mounts, those restraints miraculously vanish. He had no hesitation recalling Parliament early to rush through new hate-speech laws. Urgency, it seems, is entirely selective.

Nor is the Prime Minister powerless when he chooses to act. During COVID, police were granted sweeping special powers overnight. As seen again in Sydney this........

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