Federation Chamber (part 2 of 2)
11 August 2026
Speaker dots
- Speakers in the chapter
- Colour: political group
- Grey: no group
Tap or click a chapter's dots to see names and groups.
Contents updated on 18 Aug 2026
Legend
Transcript markers
- text Sentence being played
- text Search result
- text Intervention cited by the link you opened
Click a sentence to play the video from that moment. Select text to quote it with the speaker, timestamp and link.
More options
Federation Chamber Australian Parliament
10:00 - 10:05
Speaker 1
Are there any constituency statements by honorable members? And I give the call to the member for Kooyong.
10:05 - 11:30
Speaker 3
Thank you very much, Deputy Speaker. I would like to share with the House parts of a letter from a Kooyong constituent regarding her experiences as a Jewish Australian, which are particularly pertinent in light of tonight's 2026 census. She wrote to me: Never state you're Jewish on the census form, our parents said, because they'll already know where you live. The danger my parents perceived from being too easily identified as Jews wasn't a form of paranoia.
It was a considered position based on their experience of Australian society. In first grade I was invited to the home of a playmate who lived around the corner. I didn't realize you were Jewish when I asked you over to play, her mother said on my way out. I don't really like Jewish people, she said. Once I was old enough to understand what had happened to Jews during World War II, I tended to divide people into whether I thought they would have tried to help me escape the Nazis or not.
I didn't divulge my Jewish identity at all, except in a situation where I'd feel safe, or it was necessary for me to make a point. While I have absolutely no doubt that the expression of antisemitism has increased since October the 7th, antisemitism has always been present in Australia. The bravest of us is our younger daughter. After the massacre at Bondi she was asked to work from home. She asked to work from home for a few days without giving a reason.
The rest of the transcript is for Pro customers
Unlock the full transcript, chat, and every analysis feature with Polyfact Pro.
The video itself stays free to watch, in full, no account needed.
Start a free trial