Media Release – Jewish Community Still in the Dark over 2020 Summit

JEWISH COMMUNITY STILL IN THE DARK OVER 2020 SUMMIT

Just two months out from the Australia 2020 summit and over two weeks since the issue was first raised, the Rudd Government still cannot say how members of Australia’s Jewish community will be able to make a contribution to this national forum.

Under questioning at Senate Estimates hearings this week, Senator John Faulkner, representing the Prime Minister, was unable to say what arrangements would be made for members of the Jewish community.

Senator FIFIELD-Minister, I also understand there are going to be some special arrangements put in place so that members of the Jewish community can still have input, even though they will be unable to attend.

Senator Faulkner-I will ask officials to report on that if they can. Officials inform me they are not aware of it. I am sorry; I cannot provide you with that detail.

Senator FIFIELD-That is extremely disappointing, given that, if we take at face value the inadvertence of the selection of the dates for the summit coinciding with Passover and at the time the inadvertence was referred to by the Prime Minister’s spokesman, the comment was made that special arrangements would be put in place. The summit is not that far off.

Senator Faulkner-I would certainly like to provide you with that detail if I could. I am simply unable to. The information is not available to me, and officials at the table, I am afraid, do not have it. Obviously, we will try to get this information to you at the earliest available time.

((Senate Standing Committee on Finance and Public Administration, Additional Estimates, Monday 18 February 2008)

“Scheduling a summit that is intended to gather contributions from a broad cross-section of the Australian community on a weekend that will exclude many members of the Australian Jewish community is a clumsy blunder,” Senator Fifield said.

“But to say that there will be arrangements put in place to allow the Jewish community to contribute but then two weeks later be unable to say how that will occur makes no sense.

“Rather than cobbling together special arrangements on-the-run, the Rudd Government should have re-scheduled the summit to avoid clashing with important faith festivals such as Passover.

“Given the ill-considered choice of date for the summit, it’s not fair to keep the community in the dark over the alternative arrangements that have been promised.”