Independent Allegra Spender spearheaded a condemnation of antisemitism by federal parliament – but the debate was mired in partisanship.
The opposition tried to prevent the government bringing on the Spender motion in the House of Representatives, because it said it wanted something stronger and would not be able to amend the motion.
Coalition speakers repeatedly used the debate to attack the government for not, in its view, doing enough to combat antisemitism, particularly after the pro-Palestine demonstration at the Opera House in the wake of the Hamas atrocities of October 7 2023.
