Leaders congratulate Labor on election victory

May 4, 2025 by Henry Benjamin
Read on for article
Community leaders have congratulated Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and the Labor Party on their re-election in Australia’s 2025 election.

Anthony Albanese addresses his supporters following the ALP’s victory Photo: Lucas Koch/AAP

President of the Zionist Federation of Australia, Jeremy Leibler, said: “This election took place against the backdrop of a deeply painful period for Jewish Australians. The months since October 7 have shaken our community’s sense of security and belonging. For the first time in history, many Jews in this country felt they had to justify their place in Australian society.
This campaign, at times, gave voice to elements of our society that many hoped were long buried. And yet, we remain proud to live in a country that upholds democratic values and the rule of law; a country that, in the wake of the Holocaust, became a safe haven and home for Jewish life to flourish.

The relationship between the Jewish community and the Albanese Government has been under strain. There are real issues: foreign policy decisions and responses to antisemitism that have challenged a sense of trust. But renewing that trust is in the national interest, and we believe it is both necessary and possible.”

We welcome the pre-election commitments made by the government to increase security funding for the Jewish community, to combat antisemitism, and to support social cohesion. These commitments matter, and we look forward to working together to ensure they are implemented fully and faithfully. We also acknowledge and thank Peter Dutton and the Liberal Party for their unequivocal support for the Jewish community and for the Australia-Israel relationship.

Labor has a proud legacy of supporting Israel and the Jewish community, and bipartisan support has long been a hallmark of Australia’s foreign policy. We hope this new term provides an opportunity to return to that spirit of principled consensus and bi-partisan support.

The Jewish community will continue to advocate for itself with strength and purpose; defending our values, deepening our partnerships, and contributing to the democratic fabric of this country.”

Co-CEO of The Executive Council of Australian Jewry, Peter Wertheim, told J-Wire: “We have sent our congratulations to the Prime Minister on leading the government to a handsome victory at the polls. This result is one for the history books. The conventional wisdom until now has been that if you change the government, you change the country. Yet this result suggests that if you return to the government, you will change the country. The Labor government has captured the centre ground of politics and also won back seats from the Greens. It has been a bad night for ideologues and a victory for pragmatists.
We are also hopeful that Jewish MPs Josh Burns, Dr Michael Freelander (ALP), and Julian Leeser (Lib) will all be returned.
Finally, we thank Peter Dutton for his consistent support of our community and wish him and his family all the very best for the future.”
The Executive Director of the Australia/Israel and Jewish Affairs Council, Dr. Colin Rubenstein, said: “We congratulate Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his team on retaining government, and look forward to once again working with them constructively in the interests of Australia, including our Australian Jewish community.”

We also extend congratulations to Jewish members who were re-elected: Mark Dreyfus, Josh Burns and Mike Freelander from Labour and Liberal Julian Leeser.

However, we regret the loss to the Parliament of staunch friends of the Jewish community, including Peter Dutton and several of his colleagues, thank them for their principled support and for their service to the nation, and wish them well for the future.”

Dr Rubenstein added, “The dismal results for the Greens show that Australia has rejected its hatred and divisive rhetoric. This election victory represents an opportunity for the Labor Government to push back more strongly against the unprecedented levels of antisemitism, hate speech and incitement to violence we have experienced over the last 19 months. This should include better explaining to the public Australia’s unique model of multiculturalism, emphasising not only the rights it affords but also the overriding responsibilities it requires and which need to be enforced, particularly regarding complying with the rule of law, mutual respect and gender equality.

We also hope to see a return to the longstanding bipartisan position on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. This includes an insistence that all issues can only be resolved through direct negotiations, and an acceptance that premature recognition of a non-existent Palestinian state will be detrimental to peacemaking. We hope the next government will be alive to the twin-pronged threat of Iran’s illegal nuclear program and its regional meddling, both of which threaten the stability of the entire Middle East.”

Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon S’aar has messaged congratulating Anthony Albanese saying:  “Israel extends its congratulations to the Australian people for its democratic process and to Prime Minister @AlboMP for his victory in the elections. We value our close relationship with Australia and look forward to further strengthening the cooperation between our two democracies.”

Speak Your Mind

Comments received without a full name will not be considered
Email addresses are NEVER published! All comments are moderated. J-Wire will publish considered comments by people who provide a real name and email address. Comments that are abusive, rude, defamatory or which contain offensive language will not be published

Got something to say about this?

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Discover more from J-Wire

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading