Topics: Integrity questions over Teal candidate Alex Dyson; Queensland University of Technology anti-Semitic symposium
Peta Credlin: But first concerns have been raised about Teal candidate Alex Dyson’s suitability to run for parliament due to his involvement in a controversial radio segment which invited listeners to link everyday topics to Adolf Hitler. Mr Dyson is running for the Victorian seat of Wannon, which is currently held by Liberal MP Dan Tehan. The controversial segment aired in 2012 while Dyson was a host of ABC’s Triple J radio. And during the segment, Dyson’s co-host Tom Ballard, attempted to link wind farms to fan-forced Nazi ovens. Here’s a bit of it:
(Triple J audio excerpt)
Tom Ballard: You do wind farms, fans, you know you have a fan in an oven …and then maybe
Alex Dyson: No, fan-forced, no
Alan Brough: No, no, no, no, no, no, I don’t see where you’re going with that.
Tom Ballard:: Thank you very much. Gabby, just stay on the line, (laughter) and we will get you some prizes
Alex Dyson: (laughter) Thanks Gabby cheers (laughter)
Alan Brough: I think Tom was glad that we didn’t see where he was going with that.
Peta Credlin: At the time, the ABC apologised, but Mr Dyson did not. However, on Sunday, he told The Australian the segment brought into the show by a touring comedian was inappropriate and in bad taste.
(Statement)
“I regret that I, and the on-air producer failed to intervene sooner, which ultimately led to Tom Ballard’s tasteless joke.”
Peta Credlin: Joining me now, shadow education minister, Sarah Henderson. Well, in no way can you even call it a tasteless joke. Sarah Henderson, I mean, it’s offensive at every level. What do you make of the way he’s now responded to the fact that this audio is public just as he’s running for parliament?
Senator Henderson: Peta, good evening, and this was an appalling anti-Semitic segment which should never have been broadcast by the ABC. And this goes to the heart of the Teals’ integrity and Alex Dyson’s integrity – because he said, a couple of weeks ago, he told The Australian Jewish news that he did everything to shut this down, and he was, in fact, commended by ABC management. And I’ve now got hold of this tape, and I have discovered that he did not shut this down. In fact, on the tape, as you can hear, he had the last laugh. If he wanted to shut this down, he would never have allowed this awful, anti-Semitic, appalling segment to go to air. And it really does say a lot about Alex Dyson’s integrity, but also Zoe Daniel. Because Zoe Daniel, the member for Goldstein – she has endorsed this candidate. She, in fact, launched his campaign. She also told the Jewish News that while this was a terrible joke, that Alex did everything to shut this down. And it’s clear now that Zoe Daniel’s version of events, as proven by the tape, is quite wrong.
Peta Credlin: I hope this is something that everyone who votes in that seat of Wannon is well aware of, particularly over the next few weeks and months as we head into the campaign. Talk to me about the supposed anti-racism symposium, hosted by the Queensland University of Technology last week – because it had a horrific representation of what they call the “Dutton Jew”, which really targeted Jewish Australians – you can see it there on the screen. It all came from a left-leaning Jewish Council of Australia representative, Sarah Schwartz. She put the cartoon up there, referring to it as Dutton’s Jew, and there was a whole lot of other really troublesome language. Help me out here, Sarah, what’s been the response of the university? I mean, this should never have happened.
Senator Henderson: This should never have happened, Peta, but it was entirely foreseeable, and that is why, prior to the symposium, several leading Jewish organisations and myself – we called for the university not to proceed with this event. Because this was clearly all about driving anti-Jewish and anti-Israel hatred and division. This was not a genuine academic conference. This was all about activism, and based on some of the people who participated, including Randa Abdel Fattah – who has a shocking history of making many hateful comments, including almost celebrating the Hamas terrorist attack by publishing an image of a Hamas parachutist on her social media. Frankly, the minister should have done the same. So why didn’t the minister stand up and say to the vice chancellor, `This should not proceed’? This is clearly aimed at Jewish Australians, this is clearly all about driving hate. But again, as we’ve seen Peta, this government for 15 months has shown weakness and incompetence when it comes to fighting antisemitism, including, of course, on our university campuses. Education minister Jason Clare could not even call for the encampments to be removed. It is just appalling.
Peta Credlin: So, was the line on this slide – the inference that, what, Peter Dutton, the Peter Dutton Jew, that people of Jewish faith were making this up? And they were making it up to support the Libera Party? Is that the inference? Because bombing of synagogues and the burning down of childcare centres shows that no one’s making this up. Is that what this was about?
Senator Henderson: Look, it was clearly aimed at many Jewish Australians. It was clearly vilifying of Jews. I think it was quite antisemitic. And in fact, I said to the vice chancellor, when she wouldn’t cancel this event, I said to her, `Would you please have police there so that police can monitor hate speech?’ Now I don’t think that happened either. This wasn’t the only deeply offensive slide that was put up over this symposium. There were many, many statements made, which indicated that this was all about driving hatred and division. And it is, frankly, an appalling reflection on this university that this proceeded. But again, Peta, it builds the case for a judicial inquiry into antisemitism on university campuses which Labor has refused to support.
Peta Credlin: No doubt that’s needed. Sarah, thank you.