Howard slams Albanese’s leadership, calls changes to gun laws a diversion

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Former prime minister John Howard has castigated Prime Minister Anthony Albanese for lacking moral leadership on antisemitism and called Labor’s push to reform gun laws a “big attempt at diversion”, ramping up the political recriminations following Sunday night’s terror attack.

Nationals leader David Littleproud echoed the Liberal giant’s criticism on Tuesday, while several devastated mourners who had gathered at Bondi Beach said the federal government had not protected Jewish Australians despite their repeated warnings about increased antisemitism.

Howard received hugs and handshakes when he visited the Bondi vigil on Tuesday afternoon, and One Nation’s Pauline Hanson was met with applause, after Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke was heckled the previous night when he went to pay respects.

The former prime minister was scathing on Tuesday, singling out Albanese and Foreign Minister Penny Wong for lacking leadership and equivocating in their response to antisemitism since the October 7 attacks in 2023.

“We have failed in our obligation to a part of our community, and I’m ashamed of that. Part of that failure, a big part of it, has to be taken by the leaders,” Howard said in a rare press conference he called on Tuesday morning.

“I don’t want to place emphasis on an individual action of the prime minister. It’s his collective failure over the last 2½ years, to do enough by words and deeds ... to demonstrate his detestation of antisemitism.”

Howard’s commentary marked a shift from the bipartisan approach that political leaders had taken in the immediate aftermath of Sunday’s attack, which killed 15 victims. Israel’s ambassador to Australia, Amir Maimon, steered clear of adding to political commentary as he attended the massacre site on Tuesday.

“I am not here to point fingers,” Maimon said. “I am here to embrace, I am here to hug the community, the Australian citizens that care about life here in Australia, and care about the Australians of Jewish faith.”

But Littleproud added to criticism of the government, which has mounted since Monday, and accused Labor of distracting from its failings.

“Labor has ignored the cues that have come from society, including their own special envoy against antisemitism, that there is a violence problem towards those of the Jewish faith,” he said. “This isn’t a gun problem, it’s an ideology problem.”

Albanese and Opposition Leader Sussan Ley visited victims in hospital on Tuesday, and will attend an event that Governor-General Sam Mostyn is hosting with Jewish leaders on Tuesday night.

Ley also visited Bondi Pavilion with frontbencher Julian Leeser, while Albanese gave a press conference with NSW Police and Premier Chris Minns.

The Coalition will stand up a new antisemitism and extremism taskforce made up of key shadow ministers on Wednesday, as it turns up the heat on the government’s implementation of Segal’s report and any national security weaknesses that preceded Sunday’s attack.

Albanese has described Sunday’s attack as an “act of evil antisemitism”. He has rebuffed criticism from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who said his recognition of Palestine “poured fuel on antisemitic fire”, and said his job was to bring Australians together and stand with the Jewish community at this time.

“These antisemitic terrorist attacks will not be successful with their objective, which is to divide us as a nation,” Albanese said at a press conference on Tuesday. “We will continue to come together as a nation and to embrace each other.”

The government has extended funding to Jewish community security groups while it co-ordinates national reform to tighten gun laws. It will also fast-track visa processing for relatives wishing to visit Australia for funerals of the shooting victims.

Labor MP Josh Burns, who is Jewish, defended Albanese on Tuesday. “I’ve spoken [to him] many, many times about the situation that confronts the Jewish community in Australia,” he told Sky News.

“Frankly, the prime minister has been really receptive to a lot of the asks that have been made ... He has helped navigate things through government in a way that has meant that we were able to provide extreme, extreme levels and unprecedented levels of support to the community, of which I am deeply grateful for.”

But among several of those gathered in Bondi, there was fury. Burke, the home affairs minister, was heckled as he left a vigil in Bondi on Monday night. Two attendees called out “blood on your hands” and “shame, Tony Burke, shame”. Speaking to the ABC on Tuesday morning, Burke said community anger “makes complete sense”.

“People are grieving. This is a horrifically difficult time, and, you know, understandably. Let’s think about what’s just happened. It’s raw. Emotions are high, and people are angry, and I understand that completely,” he said.

As Hanson arrived to applause on Tuesday, accompanied by fresh One Nation recruit Barnaby Joyce, one person yelled out: “Get Albanese to resign.” Howard was met with equal rapture, with a man yelling, “Bring Howard back”. Bondi Rescue celebrity Anthony “Harries” Carroll was among those who were angry at the government, saying it had failed to protect the Jewish community.

Albanese has been criticised by Jewish community leaders and the opposition for his response to antisemitism since the war in Gaza broke out in October 2023, particularly after a spate of attacks and threats at the start of the year – some of which were later linked to organised crime and Iranian interests.

On Tuesday Howard accused Albanese of taking more pleasure from recognising Palestine than standing with Israel. He also criticised Wong for neglecting to visit the communities of Israel that had been directly assaulted by Hamas during her visit to the country in January 2024.

“His greatest failure is not to provide the moral leadership that a prime minister can in denouncing antisemitism.”

Howard conceded that no single act would have prevented Sunday’s attack. “No sensible man or woman will say, if you’d done this or that ... Sunday would not have happened,” he said.

“What you can say is that governments and individuals can do a lot to discourage the spread of prejudice, antisemitism, hatred of Jewish people. And I don’t think the present federal government and the present prime minister have done enough in that area since 2023.”

With Amber Schultz

More coverage on the Bondi terror attack

• Bondi shooter held gun licence: The prime minister will propose strengthening Australian gun laws
• Who are the alleged Bondi gunmen? On Sunday morning, father and son shooters told family they were going fishing
• Bondi hero Ahmed ‘in good spirits’: Ahmed al Ahmed, father of two young girls, is in hospital recovering from gunshot wounds
• The victims: 10-year-old Matilda is the youngest victim. What we know about the Bondi terror victims so far

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