Redmond Neck
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OzPolitic
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“At times of tension it’s really important that leaders assert those things that are good about our democracy, and that we reassure each other that we’re all part of it. We need to be self-aware and not change the way that we treat each other and the level of trust between us. We need to absolutely pump up efforts in community cohesion.”
Though Plibersek praises an earlier speech by her party leader, Bill Shorten, to this end, she is reluctant to single out Abbott for criticism. Others – Muslim leaders, fellow parliamentarians, state premiers – need to step up, too. Also, she is mindful of “haters”, those ever ready to see the worst in someone. When Abbott was ridiculed a year ago for pointing out there were no “goodies”, only “baddies”, to support against Syria’s Assad dictatorship, Plibersek refrained from a cheap shot – Abbott’s choice of words might have been simplistic, but he wasn’t wrong. Similarly, when Abbott last month attempted to win tabloid adulation by vowing to “shirtfront” Putin, she left the derision to others.
If deputy leaders didn’t get to choose their portfolios, foreign affairs might have eluded Plibersek. Her reputation has been built on tackling social issues, such as homelessness, domestic violence and discrimination. More significantly, she is of the Left, a faction less inclined to bipartisanship (and, specifically, to pro-Israel views) than the portfolio generally demands. Back in 2002, in an otherwise sharply argued speech dismantling the case for the 2003 invasion of Iraq, Plibersek described Israel as a “rogue state” for its longstanding flouting of UN resolutions. She also called its then prime minister, Ariel Sharon, a war criminal.
Today, though, you’d be hard-pressed to find a crack between the government and the Opposition on security or Middle East policy. Plibersek has long recanted her comments on Israel and appears to be in lock step with the foreign minister, Julie Bishop, on the matter of Australia’s renewed military engagement in Iraq.
Plibersek draws clear distinctions between the current action and that of 2003. Eleven years ago, she says, the motivations and objectives were “flimsy”. This time, the cause is just: Islamic State is committing acts of genocidal atrocity, the Iraqi government is asking for help, and there is a genuine coalition of support.
She also believes that Islamic State, unlike Saddam Hussein, represents an actual threat to Australia, by recruiting and training Australian citizens and threatening attacks on Australian soil. Plibersek was part of the parliamentary joint committee that approved new laws in the name of anti-terror that could see journalists jailed for up to ten years for reporting on Australian special intelligence operations, including major bungles. Her ALP factional colleague Anthony Albanese has since said the bill should have had more scrutiny. Even ASIO’s (and the Abbott government’s) greatest champion in the media, the Australian’s foreign editor, Greg Sheridan, has said that the attorney-general, George Brandis, and his ALP opposite, Mark Dreyfus, should “hang their heads in shame” for rendering ASIO’s activities impervious to journalistic scrutiny.
The ALP initially tried to spin its acquiescence by suggesting it was “picking its battles”. Plibersek, however, tells me that she thinks the concerns are overstated.
“We spent a lot of time looking at the legislation,” she says. “I don’t think we can ignore that the security alert level has been raised. We have a security and intelligence agency with a proven track record that says we are at risk at the moment, and if they are arguing for extra resources then we should listen to that.”
She adds that while “it’s very difficult to balance” the level of actual threat with community concern, “you can’t underplay that threat”.
There seems little risk of that, at least. Of late, bins have been removed from country railway stations, warnings in city stations urge people to report if they “see something”, police footage of so-called anti-terror raids is being released pronto to breakfast television, and further tranches of special spy and police powers are being rushed through parliament.
Thus far, the ALP has seemed resolutely disinclined to accuse the Abbott government of alarmism. The last thing it wants is to be seen as “soft on terror”. Yet Plibersek must be fervently hoping that security issues won’t continue to dominate the news agenda to the extent that they have. Not only is this state of affairs to the electoral advantage of the incumbent government, but she abruptly finds herself as far from the Left of the ALP as she’s ever been.
Meanwhile, on other global issues, Julie Bishop and Plibersek remain poles apart – on foreign aid, for instance, and on tackling climate change. Plibersek wants Australia to be a “good global citizen”, one that leads by example and seeks to do right by other nations as well as advancing its own interests. She has implored the Abbott government to act on direct requests from West Africa for expert medical staff to help contain its Ebola outbreak. She also wants Australia to lift its refugee intake from Syria and Iraq, for any country prepared to bomb another’s regime must surely be prepared to accept those fleeing from it.
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