Ro Knox – “doing the right thing”

Ro Knox, the Liberal candidate for Wentworth in NSW, Australia’s most Jewish electorate, presents her platform with a strong focus on supporting the community, combating antisemitism, and advocating for Israel.

At 8:45am, on September 11, 2001, Ro Knox was in New York, working for JP Morgan on Wall Street; just blocks away from the World Trade Centre when the first plane struck. In an instant, the ordinary morning turned into a nightmare. She vividly recalls the terror, confusion, and sheer disbelief as the attack unfolded.

“We heard the crash but didn’t see it immediately. We came around the corner, and in a matter of minutes, everything changed. One of the senior partners I was with thought it was a helicopter accident, but it was obvious that this was something much worse.” As the reality set in, Knox spoke with a former US Marine colleague, whose cold certainty sent chills down her spine; this was no accident. He immediately confirmed it was terrorism and predicted the second strike before it happened.

“That day, I saw the worst of humanity, but also the best. The Americans are incredibly resilient and look after each other. But what really struck me was that the attackers didn’t care about life, civilians, or progress. They just wanted to destroy.”

Now, more than two decades later, Knox sees history repeating. She draws a direct and chilling parallel between 9/11 and the Hamas attacks on October 7, exposing what she believes is the relentless ideology of extremist groups.

“It’s been distressing to see how some people still try to justify or defend Hamas. Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East, and they are fighting a terrorist organisation. The idea that Hamas is seen as a ‘liberation movement’ rather than a terror group is extremely concerning.”

 

Longstanding Connection to the Jewish Community

Knox highlights her deep personal ties to Israel. In the 1990s, she studied International Law for a term at Hebrew University and has maintained a strong connection to Israel ever since. Her recent visit to Israel further reinforced her views on the importance of standing with the country.

Reflecting on witnessing the aftermath of the 7 October Hamas attacks “You can’t really understand the scale of destruction unless you actually go there and see it firsthand,” she states. “It was extremely hard to process, but the resilience of Israelis rebuilding was extraordinary.”

Beyond her ties to Israel, Knox has long-standing ties to the Australian Jewish community. She explains “I have a large Jewish network in both Melbourne and Sydney, and I’ve always had that. My mother’s family always had Jewish friends because they shared values around education, culture, and music. That was just part of my upbringing.”

She grew up in Victoria and has actively engaged with Jewish cultural and community organisations. This included her role in helping found the Sydney Art Quartet, which has performed at Sydney’s Emanuel Synagogue.

Addressing Antisemitism

Knox has been highly critical of the Albanese government’s response to antisemitism, particularly following the Sydney Opera House protests on 9 October. She argues that the government’s inaction sent the wrong message and failed to set a clear standard against hate speech and extremist behaviour. “That should have been the moment when the Prime Minister stood on the Opera House steps with Peter Dutton and said, ‘This is unacceptable behaviour in Australia,’” she said. “Instead, the government’s weak response gave extremists a sense of impunity.”

Knox expresses her strong support for the Coalition’s proposal for national coordination on hate crime enforcement, which would give the Australian Federal Police (AFP) oversight of state police actions to ensure a consistent approach. She believes that existing laws on hate speech, doxxing, and incitement should be enforced more rigorously and revised if necessary. Additionally, Knox advocates for stricter visa policies to prevent individuals who promote hate speech or extremist ideologies from entering Australia.

“We don’t want people coming to Australia on visas spreading hate speech and being able to stay here. That should be an immediate termination of your visa,” she states.

She has also voiced concerns over antisemitism on university campuses, stating that prolonged pro-Palestinian encampments made Jewish students feel unsafe. “What happened at universities was completely unacceptable. The encampments should not have been able to stay that long. The universities weren’t providing a safe environment for their students or their faculty, and I think we’ve got to really tighten that up and fix it quickly, while obviously balancing freedom of speech.”

Support for Israel

Knox strongly advocates for Australia’s continued support of Israel and has criticised the Albanese government’s decision to restore funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA). “If you’re going to spend taxpayer money, you need to make sure it goes to the people who need it, not to a terrorist organisation,” she said.

She also disputes claims that UNRWA is the only provider of aid in Gaza, citing research from her visit to Israel. “The World Food Programme is the biggest provider of aid in Gaza. The idea that UNRWA was the only option was simply not true.”

Media Accountability

Knox criticises media bias, particularly in coverage of Israel and Gaza, arguing that outlets must clearly distinguish between reporting and editorial opinion. “We’ve got to start enforcing journalistic standards. It’s fine for people to have opinions, but you’ve got to say they’re opinions. You can’t claim to be doing unbiased reporting while pushing a personal viewpoint.” Specifically, she calls for greater accountability for publicly funded media, particularly the ABC.

She also believes social media misinformation is a growing issue and advocates for critical thinking education in schools. “The only way to fix this long-term is through education. We need to teach kids how to recognise bias and misinformation.”

Knox sees education as essential in combating antisemitism. She points to the Liberal Party’s early commitment to funding the Jewish Museum, which focuses on Holocaust education and addressing antisemitism. “We need to start this education in primary school, not just in senior school,” she said.

Reaching Moderate Wentworth Voters

Knox acknowledges that some moderate Liberal voters may feel hesitant about the party’s direction under Peter Dutton, but she insists that Dutton is collaborative and open to different viewpoints. “Wentworth has always been a moderate and progressive electorate, and that’s why it’s such a great place to live,” she said.

She describes Dutton is an excellent listener. “He’s very collaborative and good with different viewpoints. My personal experience of him has never been that he’s too conservative.”

A position based on conviction

Knox insists that her strong stance on Israel, antisemitism, and security is based on conviction rather than political gain. “Some people have told me that supporting Israel and calling out antisemitism is a vote-loser, especially among younger, more progressive voters,” she said. “But this isn’t about votes. It’s about doing the right thing.”