Why did it take so long for Albanese to condemn the attacks on Muslim women?

Two women wearing hijabs sat down for lunch at Melbourne shopping centre on Thursday.

They did not know each other, but within 10 minutes of each other, both women had been attacked.

One was left with bruises after being slapped and punched, while the other had her hijab partially ripped off, choking her in the process.

Victoria Police have since charged a 31-year-old woman with both assaults, and will allege the pair were targeted because they were wearing head coverings.

The question of whether or not these attacks were racially motivated will ultimately be a question for the courts.

But attacks on two women wearing head coverings has generated concern about a rise in Islamophobia and led to demands from Australian political leaders to openly condemn the attacks. 

Australian cricketer Usman Khawaja, one of the country’s most high-profile Muslims, asked the question: Where is the prime minister?

“Last Thursday this happened. Absolutely atrocious,” Mr Khawaja posted to his Instagram account on Tuesday, sharing an article about the incident from Nine newspapers.

“No one has mentioned it or talked about it. It will be swept under the rug like all attacks against the Islamic community. Prime Minister and definitely not the Opposition leader will mention it.

In fact, Peter Dutton’s team did send a statement when the ABC asked for his thoughts on the attack.

The ABC contacted the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) on Tuesday around lunch time, to ask for his response.

A change in gear from the PMO

Instead of making a statement, we were referred to a media release from his Assistant Minister for Multicultural Affairs, Julian Hill, condemning the attack and acknowledging a rise in Islamophobic incidents.

A second query to the PMO on Tuesday night got the same effective “no comment”, before his team eventually called back at around 9:30pm — this time with a statement.

Khawaja was not the only person wondering why the prime minister had not spoken out sooner.

The government’s special envoy to combat Islamophobia, Aftab Malik, said on Tuesday afternoon he wanted to hear condemnations from the prime minister and other leaders.

In a politically and racially heated environment, Anthony Albanese has been under sustained pressure from the Coalition and some Jewish community groups to respond immediately and forcefully to a disturbing wave of antisemitic incidents.

Violent and racist attacks are sadly a regular occurrence in any multicultural society. And the prime minister isn’t called upon to respond to every incident targeting indigenous Australians or those wearing a turban, for example. But the Israel-Gaza conflict has inflamed tensions and tested social cohesion in Australia to such an extent that the government’s response to every incident now is subjected to intense scrutiny and inevitable criticism.

The accusations reached fever pitch when Mr Albanese took four days to visit the Adass Israel synagogue in Melbourne, which had been destroyed in an arson attack (the PM was in Perth at the time).

When he did attend the Melbourne synagogue, he was ambushed outside, accused of being “too late” by hecklers, while Jewish leaders welcomed his visit.

The result has been a change in gear from the PMO.

Advisors have been more on the front foot after antisemitic attacks, or the firebombing of a childcare centre near a Jewish school in Sydney’s east, sending short statements of condemnation to journalists early on.

Careful to avoid a repeat of the synagogue incident, Mr Albanese visited the scene of the firebombed childcare centre mere hours after it happened.

But the two Muslim women received very different attention, or lack thereof. 

One Labor source with knowledge of the issue said the failure to respond to the ABC sooner about the Epping attacks was “partially a communication issue within the Prime Minister’s Office and partially a result of the day’s laser focus on rate cuts”.

The source said there was no deliberate decision to delay a response.

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Baby steps?

But there are other factors — outside the PMO — which often lead to a more muted public reaction to incidents of alleged Islamophobia. 

Special envoy Aftab Malik said Muslim Australians often do not report attacks to police, believing they won’t be taken seriously.

And most of the accusations that the prime minister has been “weak” on antisemitism, or too slow to condemn the issue after October 7, 2023, have come from the Coalition. But Mr Dutton was also noticeably absent from proactive media messaging after the Epping attacks. His first comment was to the ABC, only after he was asked for one.

The media is not without blame either.

Mr Albanese did a radio interview blitz on Tuesday afternoon, on a mission to spread the good word about an interest rate cut. He was not asked about the attacks on the two women at any point.

Senator Fatima Payman, who defected from Labor last year to start her own party, posted a video on Instagram, decrying a double standard from media and politicians. 

“If this happened to any other community the response would have been immediate,” she said.

Mr Khawaja’s comments were put directly to Mr Albanese at a press conference on Wednesday.

“I have every respect for Usman Khawaja,” the PM began.

“He’s a good cricketer, but a great Australian as well.”

Speaking before any charges were laid he said: “My view is that any attack on people on the basis of their faith or who they are is reprehensible, and I certainly hope that the perpetrators get tracked down and face the full force of the law.”

That was good enough for the top order batsman, who posted to Instagram again.

“Appreciate and respect both the PM and the Opposition leader speaking up…” he said.

“It always starts from the top. Baby steps.”