Mark Speakman takes the reins
Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council last week formally congratulated the new leadership team for the NSW Opposition, including its newly elected leader, Mark Speakman, SC.
On Friday, at State Parliament, Mr Speakman, the MP for Cronulla and former Attorney-General, was elected leader of the NSW Liberal Party and Leader of the Opposition.
Mark Speakman
Mr Speakman has replaced former Premier Dominic Perrottet.
At the same party room meeting, former Finance Minister and MLC, Damien Tudehope was elected leader of the NSW Liberals in the Legislative Council (Upper House) and Opposition leader in the Legislative Council.
In addition, former Roads Minister, MLC, and former chair of the NSW Parliamentary Friends of Israel Natalie Ward was elected deputy leader of the NSW Liberals in the Legislative Council.
(Under planned changes to the NSW Liberal Party rules, Ms Ward is also set to become deputy Liberal leader – overall.)
The letters were jointly signed by AIJAC national chairman Mark Leibler, NSW AIJAC chairman Paul Rubenstein, AIJAC executive director Dr Colin Rubenstein and AIJAC international & community affairs director, Jeremy Jones.
Last month, AIJAC formally congratulated newly elected NSW Premier Chris Minns, who had visited Israel through AIJAC’s Rambam program – which assists parliamentarians, journalists, religious, trade union and other community leaders to visit and experience Israel.
AIJAC thanked Mr Speakman for his support as the State’s Attorney-General citing his role last year in helping to criminalise the public display of Nazi symbols in NSW.“It was ground-breaking legislation, which occurred under your administration and it had the support of AIJAC.”
AIJAC also praised Mr Speakman, Mr Tudehope and Ms Ward for their roles in NSW becoming the first Australian State or Territory government to officially adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism.
In addition, AIJAC thanked Ms Ward for her tenure as chair of the NSW Parliamentary Friends of Israel from 2019 to 2021.
“We remember in 2020, you visited Israel for the first time and spoke movingly about visiting the Hotel; Yad Vashem and Sderot. In the NSW Parliament, we note that on many occasions you spoke in support of the Jewish community, Jewish causes, the State of Israel and against antisemitism,” AIJAC said.
The New South Wales Jewish Board of Deputies President David Ossip and CEO Darren Bark told J-Wire: “The NSW Jewish Board of Deputies congratulates Mark Speakman on his election as the new Leader of the NSW Liberal Party and Leader of the NSW Opposition.
Mark has been a friend and supporter of the Jewish Community and we look forward to working with him in his new role.
Mark was recently presented with a framed copy of the Bill banning the public display of Nazi symbols in NSW – a Bill he had carriage of when he was NSW Attorney General.”
